


Finding Love Again

by Captain_America_Black_Widow



Category: Avengers (Comics), Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Death, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Multi, Past Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers, Romance, Slow Romance, romanogers - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-06
Updated: 2018-08-14
Packaged: 2018-11-09 17:23:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 41
Words: 120,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11109288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Captain_America_Black_Widow/pseuds/Captain_America_Black_Widow
Summary: Will Steve Rogers, a heartbroken widower and war veteran, ever find love again? It seems pretty impossible. Who would want a depressed widower with an adorable four year old daughter?





	1. Prologue-Part one

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Avengers . I've had many ideas for a while, but this one just kept nagging at me. I will tell you from now, this is a Romanogers (read the tags). If you are reading because there is a relationship mention of Steve and Sharon, you will be disappointed later on. Yes, Sharon will play a major role, but I absolutely so not ship Staron. Secondly, Sharon and Peggy are not related in this fic because it would make the story a little awkward. Another thing is that I'm not putting in foul language because I honestly don't speak with it. Fourthly, if my content goes up to mature (I don't know if it will yet) then I will state at the beginning of the chapter. Another thing is that italics are flashbacks and memories. Lastly, I honestly don't know how often I will post, so I'm not going to make any promises on that.  
> Well, I hope you enjoy this story!
> 
>  
> 
> I do not own Marvel or its characters.

 

 

 

Steve Rogers was sadly looking out the plane window. He couldn’t believe what had just happened to him. He was still having trouble accepting it. He never thought that it would happen to him.

* * *

 

_Captain Steve Rogers was occupied in the strategics room planning new attacks on the enemy. He heard someone come into the room._

_“Captain Rogers.” Steve looked up at the mention of his name._

_He stood at attention upon seeing Lieutenant Powell. “Yes, sir.”_

_“At ease.” Steve dropped his saluting hand. “You have a phone call waiting for you in the office.”_

_“With all due respect, sir, I’m kind of busy.”_

_“He said it was urgent.”_

_“I’ll be right there.”_

_Steve walked nervously down the hall to the office. His mind was in all directions thinking about what was the urgent matter of this phone call. Finally, he arrived at the office._

_“Excuse me,” he said, trying to keep his voice calm, “I was told I have a phone call waiting.”_

_The secretary looked up. “Indeed you do, Captain. It’s the third phone from the left.”_

_“Thank you.” He made his way to the phone and picked it up. “This is Captain Rogers.”_

_“Steve, it’s Tony.”_

_“Oh my goodness, Tony! I can’t believe you! I’m in the middle of a meeting when I’m told I have an urgent phone call in the office! I break up the meeting and worry myself half to death just to find out the genius billionaire is calling me! What can be so important!” Steve huffed out._

_“Look, Steve, I’m sorry, but it is important,” Tony apologized sullenly._

_Steve heard the seriousness of his voice and all the anger drained out of him. “Go on.”_

_He heard Tony take a deep breath. “Man, I really don’t want to do this. I don’t know how to.”_

_“Just say it, Tony. You’re starting to scare me.”_

_“I’m sorry. I really didn’t want to be the one to tell you. Gosh, this is so hard.”_

_“Tony, what happened?”_

_Tony took another deep breath, “All right. I can do this. Steve, I’m so sorry.”_

_“Sorry for what, Stark?”_

_“I’m so, so sorry.”_

_“Tony, this better not be one of your jokes because this is really scaring me.”_

_“No, Steve, it’s not. I don’t know any other way to break it to you, so I’ll just say it.” Tony took a pause to gather his thoughts. “Steve, it’s Peggy.”_

_Steve’s heart stopped. A million thoughts went through his head. Did he really want to know? He had to know, she is his wife. “What’s wrong with Peggy? What happened?” he asked desperately._

_“She was in a car accident.”_

_“Is she all right?”_

_Tony avoided the question for the moment. Steve needed to know how it happened first. “Peggy was driving home from our place. Livy was with her. I don’t think they were gone even for five minutes when I got a call saying that she was in an accident caused by a drunk driver. I rushed over to the sight as fast as I could. When I got there, the paramedics and police were already there. And…”_

_“Stark, is my wife ok?”_

_“I’m so sorry Steve. The car hit her side directly. She died instantly. I’m so sorry.”_

_Steve felt as if his heart was ripped out of his body. He had just lost the love of his life, his best girl. He didn’t know how, but somehow he found the words to ask the next question. “What about Livy?”_

_“That’s the good news. Livy is alive. A little bruised up, but she’ll be fine.”_

_Even that piece of good news didn’t do anything to take the pain away. Yes, he was thankful that his daughter was still alive, but he knew that nothing be the same anymore._

_“The funeral viewing will take place the day after tomorrow. The funeral will be the day after that. You need to be here, Steve.”_

_“I know, Stark. I will be. I’ll take the next flight home. Could you do me a big favor?”_

_“Anything for you, Cap.”_

_“Could you take care of Livy until I get home? There’s no one else to take care of her.”_

_“Of course, Pepper and I will be happy to watch her.”_

_“Thank you.”_

_“No problem. You holding up okay?”_

_“I’ll be fine.” Steve knew that eventually would happen, but he knew it would take a long time._

_“If you need me to pick you up at the airport, feel free to call.”_

_“Thank you. I should go, you know, to start packing.”_

_“Yeah. I’m so sorry for your loss. I know that you loved her with all your heart.”_

_“Thanks. I have to go.”_

_“Take care, Steve.”_

_“You too.” Steve hung up. When he woke up that morning, he wouldn’t have imagined something like this would have happened. Steve kept his composure until he got back to his room. Immediately after he closed the door, he broke down in tears. This was going to be one of the hardest things he’d have to do, bury his wife._

* * *

 

A few tears escaped as he finished remembering the awful events of the day before. His mind then drifted to the last time he kissed her, before he got on the plane a few months back to come to Iraq. The last time he said “I love you,” a week before on their last phone conversation. He started wondering if he ever said those three words enough times. He wondered if she knew without a shadow of a doubt he loved her. He wondered if she ever regretted getting married a few months before he was shipped out to Iraq.

“You okay?” a voice asked, snapping Steve out of his thoughts.

He looked up to meet Bucky’s eyes. “Yeah, Buck, I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine to me.”

“I just lost Peggy. It hurts so much. I don’t even know if I told her how much I love her enough that she wouldn’t have a doubt I did. The last time I saw her was months ago. I should have never joined the army. Maybe none of this would have happened.”

“Are you just talking about Peggy’s death or about my arm as well?”

“I don’t know. Both? If I wouldn’t have insisted on enlisting you would have never enlisted as well. If I would have never joined, maybe Peggy would have been at home with Livy and me.”

“About my arm, that wasn’t your fault. Neither was this car accident your fault.”

“It is. It’s all my fault for following one of the most dangerous dreams.” Silence followed because Bucky knew that no matter how much he would tell Steve otherwise, he still felt guilty. “Thanks, Buck for flying out here to accompany me home. I really appreciate it,” Steve said, breaking the silence.

“It’s no problem. Look, you should rest. You have long days ahead of you.”

Steve just nodded and went back to staring out the window.


	2. Prologue-Part two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is the funeral, but I don't go in great detail mainly because I don't know what it's like to lose a family member yet. I tried to portray Steve's feelings as best as I thought someone going through this type of pain would feel.
> 
>  
> 
> I do not own Marvel or its characters.

* * *

 

The day of the funeral finally arrived. Steve hadn’t been able to sleep well since he found out about Peggy’s death. All he could see when he closed his eyes was Peggy’s brown hair, her beautiful red lips. He still couldn’t accept the fact that she was dead. Yesterday was one of the longest days in his life. He didn’t know how many more “I’m sorry for your loss” he could take. Seeing Peggy in the coffin was very surreal. She looked peaceful, like when she was asleep, but the crude reality that she wasn’t sleeping but was dead was very hard to face.

When Steve’s alarm clock rang at seven in the morning, he had just barely drifted into a light sleep. He groaned and turned off the alarm. He didn’t know if he could do this. He had to once again bury someone he loved. He lay in bed a little while longer before deciding to get up. He took a quick shower and put on his uniform. He would have skipped breakfast if it wasn’t for his growling stomach.

At eight thirty, Sam Wilson and Bucky both arrived at Steve’s house. Since Bucky had a spare key, they went in without knocking.

“Steve, are you in here man?” Sam called out from the entrance. No response came, so they decided to just look around the house. They found Steve in his room sitting on the edge of his bed with his hands covering his face. His shoulders were lightly shaking.

“Hey, Steve, are you okay?” Bucky asked, coming closer to him. Steve looked up at both Bucky and Sam. His eyes were all red from crying, and he had dark bags under his eyes.

“I can’t do this,” he said in a shaky voice. “I can’t go to that funeral and watch as my wife is being lowered to the ground. I just can’t!”

“We’ll be right beside you Steve. Remember our saying? I’m with you ‘til the end of the line. That includes now. You don’t have to face this alone.”

“Bucky’s right, Steve. You will have friends all along the way supporting you. You’re not alone.”

“Come on, punk. We’d better get going. The service starts in an hour.”

Steve sighed. “Yeah, I’ll be right there. I just need a minute.”

“We’ll be waiting for you in the car, and you’d better come,” Sam told him.

When Sam and Bucky had left his room, he stood up and went to the bathroom to splash water on his face. Looking at himself in the mirror, he could see how bad he looked, but he couldn’t care less about his appearance right now. With that he locked up the house and got in the car.

The ride to the church was a very quiet one. Steve was miles away and lost in thought. Bucky and Sam glanced at him every now and then to see if he was holding up all right.

The funeral service passed by smoothly. Family and friends spoke about Peggy in the sweetest way, but Steve couldn’t bear listening to it. For him, it seemed like it was making the pain even worse. When he was called up to speak, he couldn't make himself get up. He couldn’t get up there in front of everyone to talk about his wife. How could he when he was away most of the time they were married? Did he even know her so well as to say something nice about her?

Bucky noticed that he wasn’t moving, so he said that he wasn’t able to speak.

The hardest part was the burial. Steve knew that the moment the coffin was lowered it would make it all real. He wasn’t prepared to face life without her. He needed her. He needed Peggy by his side to raise their three year old daughter. Being in the military for most of his daughter’s life, he didn’t know the slightest thing about parenting.

After the burial, Steve stayed at Peggy’s grave for a little while longer. He just stood there staring for some minutes. He knew he couldn’t stay there forever. His friends were waiting for him. Before leaving, he crouched down and whispered, “I love you.” With that, he kissed the tombstone and left. His heart was completely shattered. Nothing would ever be the same again. Despite this awful truth, he had to keep going. He had to rise up to the challenge of raising a child by himself. His little girl needed him. Margaret Olivia Rogers needed her daddy. He needed to be strong for her no matter how much it hurt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end of the prologue. Next chapter will be the beginning of the story.


	3. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This picks up approximately one year after the funeral. 
> 
> Their is a part where Lila Barton is mentioned, there will be an explanation to that part at the end.
> 
>  
> 
> I do not own Marvel or its characters.

* * *

 

 

**_“Steve! Steve! Help me!” a female voice cried out. “Help me please!”_ **

**_Steve saw Peggy in the driver’s seat of her vehicle. She was trapped, and the car was just seconds from blowing up into flames. He tried to move towards her to save her, but he couldn’t. His feet would not move no matter how hard he tried. Then, the car blew up. Flames quickly consumed the car._ **

**_“PEGGY!” he screamed, but it was too late._ **

Steve bolted upright in bed covered in a cold sweat. He turned his phone on to see the time. It was 5:00 A.M., so he decided to get up. There was no way he would be able to go back to sleep after that nightmare. It’s been a year since Peggy died, but he still can’t get over it. He decides to go down to his workout room. When he gets there, he immediately starts punching a bag. Ever since he was in the army, he realized that it helped him relieve a lot of stress and pressure. Around seven, he decided to start his day. He cleaned the house a little and took a shower.

After he got done getting ready for the day, he headed to the kitchen to start on breakfast. He decided to make Livy’s favorite breakfast-chocolate chip pancakes and bacon. He didn’t think she would get up on her own, but he was wrong. Soon after he started cooking, he heard the patter of little feet.  Knowing Livy, she would try to scare him, so he pretended that he didn’t hear her coming. A couple seconds later, she stood behind him and yelled, “Boo!”

Steve made himself jump in surprise and turned around with his best impression of a scared face. “You scared me, princess!”

When the four year old saw her daddy’s face, she immediately knew he was lying. Disappointed, she said, “No, daddy, I didn’t scare you.”

“Of course, you did, princess! Didn’t you see me jump three feet in the air?”

“Daddy, when you have a nightmare that scares you, you look scared. Right now, you don’t look scared, and you didn’t jump at all.”

Knowing that he wouldn’t be able to keep lying to his daughter, he admitted, “You’re right, princess, you didn’t scare me. I heard you coming down the stairs.”

Livy’s got even more disappointed.

 “Look if you want to scare someone, you should practice on being quieter.”

Livy giggled, “Like you?”

“Okay, you got me there,” he said while going to pick her up, “I need to practice on being quieter too.” He started kissing her cheeks making her giggle some more. “Are you ready to have breakfast?”

“Yeah! What are we going to eat?”

“I made your favorite- chocolate chip pancakes and bacon.”

Livy clapped her hands. “Yay! I love pancakes and bacon!” She gave Steve a big hug and a big slobbery kiss on the cheek.

“Do you want to help me finish making them?”

Livy shook her head no.

“Why not, princess?”

“Because I like how you make them. They taste better.”

“All right,” he said, setting her down on the counter, “I’ll finish making breakfast.”

* * *

 

While eating breakfast, Livy remembered something that Lila Barton had told her recently. She decided to ask her daddy her famous question. “Daddy?”

“Yes, princess?”

“When can I start ballet class?”

“I don’t know, princess. You’re still a little young to start ballet classes. I think you can start learning in a couple of years.”

“But Lila told me that there’s a new ballet school in New York. She was gonna to the summer classes but picked to go to MasterChef Junior instead. Anyways, she said that I was old enough to go!”

“Well, let me talk to your Uncle Clint about it, and ask him where the school is located so that I can check it out. But don’t get your hopes up, Livy, because I don’t know if you’ll be able to go. Okay?”

“Okay, daddy,” she said with bright eyes.

Steve decided to switch the subject. “Livy, I need to go to the art studio today to turn in my work and pick up more. Would you like to go with me, or would you rather stay with your Aunt Pepper?”

Livy thought about it a moment. “If I go to the art studio with you, will you take me to the ballet school after that?”

“So much for changing the subject,” Steve thought. To his daughter he replied, “Well, I don’t know where this ballet school is located, and your Uncle Clint is working right now.”

But Livy wouldn’t give up that easily. “You can call Aunt Laura and ask her.”

Steve looked down at Livy’s pleading eyes, eyes that he couldn’t say no to. Reluctantly, he agrees, “All right, I’ll call your Aunt Laura, get the address, and we can go before coming home.”

“Thank you, daddy!” Livy got up and hugged Steve tightly.

“You’re welcome, princess. Now hurry up and finish your breakfast.”

* * *

 

After they finished breakfast, Steve started the dishwasher, and helped Livy get ready to go. While Livy brushed her teeth, Steve called Laura.

**“Hello?”**

“Hi, Laura. This is Steve.”

**“Oh hey, Steve. How are you and Livy?”**

“We’re both fine, about to head out. How about you and the kids?”

**“The kids are enjoying their summer vacation, and I’m enjoying spending time with them.”**

“That’s great. Well, Livy told me this morning about the ballet school Lila is going to be attending, and I was wondering if you could pass me the address.”

**“Of course, I can Steve. Hold on a minute while I look for the address.”**

Laura dictated the address while Steve wrote it down.

“Thanks, Laura. I hope you’ll have a good day.”

**“You too, Steve.”**

Steve was about to hang up when Laura said, **“Wait! I forgot to mention that Clint told me he wants to get together sometime this week.”**

“Yeah, sure. I’ll call Clint later to set it up. I have to go now.”

**“Ok. Take care.”**

“You too. Bye.” Steve hang up and turned to Livy. “Are you ready to go now?”

“Yes, daddy!” she happily replied, and off they went to the art studio.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lila Barton- Last night, my family and I started watching MasterChef Junior Season 5. While watching, I saw there was a girl named Lila, and she became one of the top twenty. I was going to put her in the ballet class as well, but I thought this would be better because it would help with the element of surprise later on in the story.


	4. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a much longer chapter. I didn't intend it to be so long, but I had great ideas that had to go in this chapter for the flow. Italics in this chapter are what the character is thinking. I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> I do not own Marvel or its characters.

* * *

 

 

Sousa’s Art Studio and Gallery was where Steve worked. The owner, Daniel Sousa, was Peggy’s cousin. Also, he is a disabled war veteran that served a couple of years before Steve did. When Steve returned to New York after Peggy’s death, he had nothing to do. Since Sousa didn’t have a job of his own at the time, he decided to help both Steve and himself. He had approached Steve a couple of months after Peggy’s death to ask him if he was interested in starting an art studio with him. Steve agreed and for some time he was the only employee. As the business started growing, Sousa hired more artists and soon afterward opened the art gallery.

Upon entering the building, Steve and Livy saw Wanda Maximoff, Steve’s adopted sister and Sousa’s secretary, working busily at the front desk.

“Aunt Wanda!!!” Livy screamed with delight. She let go of  Steve’s hand and started running towards the desk.

Startled, Wanda looked up from her work. When she saw Livy, her whole face lit up. “Hey, Maggie! How are you?” She walked around to the other side of the desk and scooped Livy up in a big hug.

“I’m gonna go to ballet school!” Livy announced.

“Is that so?”

“Nothing’s been decided yet,” Steve cut in.

Wanda turned around and her smile grew wider. “Hey, Steve! You here to drop off work?”

“Hello to you too, Sis,” he returned the greeting. “Yep, I’m going to drop off some work and pick up more. Dan likes to keep me busy.”

“That reminds me, Dan wants to see you in his office. I can watch Maggie for you.”

“Thank you, Wanda.” Directing his gaze to his daughter, he said, “Now you be good for your Aunt Wanda. I don’t want to hear any complaints. Understood?” Livy nodded her head.

“Don’t worry about her, Steve. She’s always a little angel.”

* * *

 

Steve’s meeting with Dan went fairly quickly. Dan wanted to talk about expanding the business to other cities in New York sometime in the near future. Steve liked the idea and gave him his support. After the meeting, Steve went to his office to pick up the supplies he would need for his next project. As he was walks in the hall towards the front desk, he hears Livy’s happy chatter and Wanda’s laugh. He leans against the wall and observes them for a minute. He captures every detail in order to make a drawing during his free time.

“Ready to go?” he finally asks when both Wanda and Livy were laughing non-stop.

Livy looks up at Steve. “Yes, Daddy, let’s go!”

“Are you sure, princess? It looks like you’re having a great time with your Aunt Wanda.”

“I want to go see the ballet school!”

“Okay, princess. We’ll leave in a minute.” Turning to Wanda he says, “Thanks, Sis, for watching her.”

“It’s no problem, Steve. We had a wonderful time. Isn’t that right Maggie?”

Livy nodded her head. “How about you two come to my apartment for dinner tomorrow around six?”

“That would be great, Wanda! We don’t have any plans, and I think Livy would enjoy herself.”

“I’ll invite Pietro, too. He may come with his girlfriend. If he does, I’ll invite Bucky, and you can invite Sharon.”

Steve eyes Wanda suspiciously. “Sharon’s on a business trip, and I thought you didn’t like her.”

Wanda looks down at her nails. “I never said didn’t like her. She’s a nice person, but I just don’t think she’s the woman for you.”

Steve sighed annoyingly, “Here we go again.”

“Look, I know how you would look at Peggy, and I can assure you that you don’t look at Sharon that way. I’m just concerned you’re making the wrong decision.”

“Wanda, we’ve been through this already. Sharon’s a great person. She loves hanging out with Livy. I really think she would be the perfect mother for her. Besides, I l…” Steve’s phone ringing interrupted him. He looked at the caller ID. “Speak of the devil,” he said under his breath but loud enough that Wanda heard.

“Daaaaddddyyyyy! I want to go now,” Livy whined.

“Just wait a minute, Livy. Go say goodbye to your Aunt Wanda while I take this call.”

Livy sighed and went to say goodbye to Wanda while Steve answered the phone.

“Hey, Sharon! How are you?” Steve waved goodbye to Wanda, took Livy’s hand, and exited the building.

**“Hey, Steve! I’m a little busy but fine. How are you?”**

“Ok. Right now, I’m leaving the art studio and taking Livy to see a new ballet school.”

**“Really? By the way, how is Livy?”**

“Livy’s fine,” he replied while buckling Livy in her car seat. “When do you come back?”

**“In two or three days. I am so ready to go back home though.”**

“All right. I miss you.”

**“I miss you, too.”**

Steve got into the driver’s seat. “Look, I need to go. I’ll talk to you later.”

**“That’s fine. I actually have to go too. Take care.”**

“You too. I’ll see you soon!” Steve hung up the phone. Looking at Livy in his rearview mirror, he asked, “You ready to go?”

“Yeah,” she answered, staring out the window.

“Let’s get rolling! Next stop, ballet school!”

* * *

 

Since Steve parked about a block away from the ballet school, they had to walk the rest of the way. As they were approaching the building, Livy eyes lit up with excitement. Her eyes were as big as saucers when she spotted the school. “Look, Daddy! There it is!” she exclaimed, pointing at the building.

“Yes, indeed.” He looked at the school’s name: Russo-American Ballet School. _“Interesting,”_ he thought.

Turning his attention back to Livy, he couldn’t help but notice how elated she was. He had never seen her eyes shine so bright with enthusiasm. Looking at her reminded him about Peggy.

Livy was almost jumping up and down with excitement as they entered the building.  The inside was a work in progress. There were men painting the walls and laying down flooring in some areas, but they were able to locate the office without any problem. Steve knocked on the slightly opened door. Livy was looking around in awe and wonderment.

A woman with black hair done in a bun came to the door and opened it just enough so that only her head could look out.

“Hello, ma’am,” Steve greeted politely.

“Sir, I don’t know who in the world you think you are, but you aren’t allowed in here,” the woman said coldly.

That really took Steve by surprise. “I-I’m really sorry, ma’am, but I just wanted to get more information about the summer ballet classes.”

“That’s what a telephone number is for. Now get out!” The woman slammed the office door in his face.

“Come on, Livy, let’s go. It seems as if I have to call first.” Disappointed, Livy took Steve’s hand, and they headed to the exit.

**Meanwhile…**

“Who was at the door, Maria?” asked a female.

“Oh, just some guy.”

“What did he want?”

“He came here to ask about the summer classes, and I told him to call.”

“Maria! You should have let him in!”  The woman dropped what she was doing and hurried after Steve.

“Sir! Sir!”

Steve turned around and saw a pretty red haired woman calling him.

“Sir, please wait!” She ran to catch up to him, but when the distance between them was just about closed, she tripped over some tools that were scattered on the floor.

Steve quickly reacted when he saw she tripped. He let go of Livy’s hand, who was watching wide-eyed as the scene unfolded, and caught the lady before she fell completely to the ground. Their eyes met, and they both stared at each other. Steve stared into her green-blue eyes while she stared into baby blue orbs. Who knows how long they had been staring into each other’s eyes before Steve found his voice.

“Ma’am, are you okay?” he asked with concern. She just kept staring at him. “Ma’am, are you all right?”

“Yeah, I’ve never been better,” she said in a daze which she quickly snapped out of. “These men just don’t know how to clean up. I’ve tripped many times before. Don’t worry.”

Steve helped her to her feet. The lady gave him a quick once over. _“My, he sure is very muscular. He must work out every day,”_ she thought. “I have to apologize for my friend’s behavior back there,” she told Steve. “We’ve been a little stressed out with trying to get the remodeling done before we open the school. So, what can I do for you?”

“Well, I was coming to ask for information about the summer classes. My niece told my daughter about the ballet school since she’s interested in ballet. I was reading the flier on the door and saw the ages but since Livy’s not old enough yet I won't bother you anymore.”

"Well, how old is she?"

"She's four," Steve replied nonchalantly.

“Wait a minute! She’s four!” the lady yelled out incredulously.

Steve laughed, “Yes, she is. I know she’s a little tall for her age, but you can’t blame her.”

“Wow! I thought she was five or maybe even six. Well, here’s the deal. Since your daughter is a little taller than most four year olds, I’ll let you enroll her. I’ll make sure to give her lighter work at the beginning, and if she can keep up, I’ll give her more to do. I’ll even reduce the price seeing as she is four.”

“Oh, thank you, but I haven’t decided whether or not to enroll her yet.”

“I understand.”

“Yeah, it’s just that I may have plans for the summer, you know, like going on vacation or…”

Livy, who had been hiding behind Steve, decided it was a great time to intervene. “No you don’t, Daddy! I asked you if we were gonna go on vacation, but you said we weren’t. You said we were going to stay right here in New York the whole summer getting bored!” she declared.

“You’re right, I did say that, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t have plans to take you to Coney Island.”

“We always go to Coney Island,” Livy complained.

“My, for a four year old, she has a temper,” the red haired lady commented.

“Yeah, well, she takes after her mother in that aspect,” Steve replied nervously. The lady couldn't help but notice the little blush that had crept up his cheeks.

“No,” Livy cut in, “Uncle Tony says I have your personality not my mother’s.”

“Ok, we’ll go with what he said,” Steve agreed to avoid an argument. The truth was that Livy had a mix of Steve and Peggy's personality and temper.

The red haired lady looked at Livy and then at her father and back to Livy again. “I need to tell you, your daughter looks a lot like you.”

“Thanks. I get that a lot, and you’re right to say it because of her hair and eye color. But if you look at the details, you can tell that the shape of her face, her mouth, and everything resembles her mother.”

“Well, one has to have a very keen eye to notice.”

“Yeah, well, I’m an artist so…”

“An artist? I would have never guessed, but back to the main subject. Have you decided anything?”

Livy looked up at him with an exact replica of his puppy eyes. “Please, please, please, pretty please,” she pleaded.

Steve took one look at Livy’s puppy eyes and knew he wouldn’t be able to say no. “Yeah, I made my decision. I’ll enroll her.”

“Great! Classes start this coming Monday. For kids her age, we have two classes because there are a lot of people interested, so there’s a morning class and an afternoon class. Whatever works with your schedule. Classes are every day for one hour.”

“At what time do the morning classes start?”

“At ten.”

“She’ll go in the morning. My office is nearby, so it will be more convenient for me.”

“Yeah, well, let me go get the registration form in the office.”

The lady returned shortly after with the paperwork which Steve spent the next couple minutes filling out.

“Here you go.”

“Thank you. It was nice to meet you Livy. I’ll be looking forward to seeing you on Monday.”

Livy gave her a shy smile.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I caught your name,” Steve said.

“Oh my, that was really rude of me. I never introduced myself. I’m Natasha Romanoff, the ballet teacher and owner of this school.”

“Nice to meet you, Miss Romanoff.  I’m Steve Rogers.”

“Well, it was nice to meet you too. I really have to go now. Maria is impatiently waiting for me. We need to finish organizing the office.”

“Ok. I’ll see you Monday.”

“Of course.” Natasha turned and walked back to the office. _“What a handsome man! Too bad he’s already married,”_ she thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review! I love reading what you think about the story. You're comments always put a big smile on my face.


	5. Chapter 3

After leaving the ballet school, Steve decided to take Livy to Central Park so that she could run around and play. Livy was joyful. She loved going to Central Park with Steve because they always played together. They played catch, hide and seek, and Frisbee.

“Daddy, I’m hungry,” Livy said when they were taking a break from playing.

“Ok. Let’s go get some hot dogs.” Steve pulled her up from where she was lying on the grass.

“Then can we get ice cream?”

“Of course we can, princess.”

They located a hot dog cart and ordered. Steve ordered one hot dog with ketchup for Livy and four hot dogs with ketchup and mustard for himself. After receiving their hot dogs, they went to sit at a bench to eat them.

“Can we go see Aunt Pepper?” Livy inquired.

Steve sighed. “Livy, I asked you this morning if you wanted to tag along with me or go with your Aunt Pepper. You picked to stay with me, and I really need to go home to start working on my next art project.”

“But, Daddy,” Livy whined, “I want to go see Aunt Pepper. Please can we go?” she pleaded.

Steve really didn’t want to go because he knew Pepper was going to insist that they stay for dinner, and he wanted to get home.  Seeing his daughter’s face, he knew he couldn’t say no. “All right, we can go, but later.”

Livy’s face brightened up. “Thank you, Daddy!” she squealed with delight. “I love you!” Livy embraced Steve in a big hug and gave him a slobbery kiss.

“I love you, too, princess. Now, let’s go get that ice cream you wanted.”

“Can I have a piggy back ride?”

“Yes, you can.” Steve picked Livy up and put her on his back. “Rogers, you’re going to spoil her if you keep giving in to what she wants,” Steve muttered to himself.

Steve took Livy to their favorite ice cream parlor Häaggen-Dazs. Livy got a chocolate chip cookie dough kiddie cup, and Steve got a brownie à la mode large waffle cone. They walked calmly back to Central Park while eating their ice cream. They sat down on the grass and finished eating. Once Livy finished her ice cream, she started running around. Steve watched her closely. Oh how he wished Peggy was here with them watching Livy and enjoying this moment! Livy soon got tired and came back and lay down beside Steve. Steve stroked her hair until she had fallen asleep. He looked at his phone and saw it was a little after two. He decided to draw a little. As he was thinking about what to draw, his thoughts wandered to the red head he had met today. Natasha Romanoff. He couldn’t get her fiery red hair and green blue eyes out of his head. He could imagine himself kissing those lips and tasting them for the first time. She was beautiful. Steve smiled. He absentmindedly started drawing her. Thanks to his photographic memory, he could remember every detail. He admired his work after he finished his sketch, but he remembered Sharon. “Oh, Rogers, you just disrespected your own girlfriend with your thoughts and this drawing,” he scolded himself. He was about to rip out the sketch from his notebook to crumple up and throw out, but he just couldn’t. _“I guess I’ll have to keep this hidden so that Sharon won’t find it,”_ he thought as he put the notebook back in his backpack.

Livy was still sleeping soundly next to him. He knew he had to wake her up so that they could leave, but seeing her sleep so peacefully he regretted having to do it. “Livy,” he whispered while shaking her lightly. “Princess, wake up.”

Livy moaned and switched to a different position, but she didn’t wake up.

“Come on, Livy. You want to go see your Aunt Pepper?” Steve didn’t receive an answer. “Okay, I’ll take that as a no. Let’s go home.”

Steve was about to pick her up when she groaned, “No, Daddy, I want to go see Aunt Pepper.”

“Are you sure? You look like you want to keep sleeping,” Steve teased her.

“Yes, Daddy. Let’s go see Aunt Pepper.”

“All right but you need to get up or the tickle monster will have to force you to get up,” Steve told her as he inched his way closer to her. Livy didn’t make any attempt to get up so Steve started tickling her. He knew that she enjoyed being tickled by him. Livy’s giggles soon filled the air. “Daddy! Stop! Stop!” she said in between giggles.

“Let’s go.” Steve helped Livy to her feet and grabbed her hand. They walked back to their car and made their way to Stark Tower. The bottom half of the building was an extension of Stark Industries that was founded in Malibu while the top half was Stark’s living quarters. Because Pepper is his CEO and girlfriend, she lives there too. The tower had a private parking lot and entrance for Tony’s friends. When they entered the building, JARVIS, Stark’s AI, greeted them.

“Good afternoon, Captain Steve Rogers and Miss Olivia Rogers. Should I inform Mr. Stark you are here?”

“Yes, please, JARVIS. Thank you,” Steve replied. Steve and Livy went to sit down on the couch in the lobby.

Minutes later, the elevator dinged and out came the billionaire Tony Stark. “Hey, Cap! How are you?”

Steve got up and shook Tony’s hand. “I’m fine. How about you?”

“I’m great!” Spotting Livy on the couch, he walked up to her. “And how is the little munchkin?”

“I’m really good, Uncle Tony. Where’s Aunt Pepper?”

“She’s finishing up her work for the day in her office. Do you want to go see her?”

“Yes,” she exclaimed.

“Just hold on a sec ok.” Livy nodded in agreement. “So, what brings you here, Steve?”

“Well, Livy wanted to see Pepper, so that’s why I’m here.”

“Ouch, that really hurt my feelings,” Tony said, faking a hurt face.

Steve rolled his eyes. “If you don’t mind, we’ll go see Pepper now. Come on, Livy.”

“Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. How about we go up to the living room and wait for her there. She’s almost done with her work, so she’ll be going up there soon. Meanwhile, we can talk and catch up and have a drink. What do you say?”

Steve thought about it a moment. This is one of the reasons he didn’t want to come here in the first place. Because he didn’t sleep well the night before, he was tired and wanted to get home even though he wouldn’t be able to get to sleep. Looking at Livy and at Tony, he knew he had to make the sacrifice. “All right,” Steve answered reluctantly.

The elevator took them several floors up to Tony’s living quarters. “Make yourselves at home,” Tony said when they got out of the elevator. “What would you like to drink?”

“I’ll have a beer,” Steve answered.

“What about you, Liv?”

“What do you have, Uncle Tony?” she asked politely.

“Well, let’s see, I have water, milk, juice, soda. Yeah, that’s about it.”

“You have orange juice?”

“Yes, I do. Would you like some?”

“Yes, please.”

“Ok, a can of beer and a glass of juice coming right up!” He made his way to the kitchen. “You know, Steve, you look like you haven’t slept at all.”

“Thanks for noticing,” Steve replied sarcastically.

“Having nightmares again?”

“You know I always do. If they’re not about Peg they’re about Buck and the war.”

“I think you should see a therapist. I know one personally, and he is great.” Tony came back and gave Steve and Livy their drinks before sitting on the couch.

“Tony, I don’t want to…”

“Aunt Pepper!” Livy screamed, interrupting Steve.

Pepper had just come out of the elevator looking at some files. The voice startled her a little especially since she recognized it. She wasn’t expecting Livy to be there. Livy ran up to her and hugged her legs. “Hey, Livy! It’s so nice to see you!”

“I missed you!”

Pepper put the files down and scooped Livy up in her arms. “I’ve missed you too!” She then noticed Steve standing by the couch. “Hey, Steve! How have you been?”

“As great as can be expected.”

“Is Tony giving you trouble?” she said, smirking at her boyfriend. Steve just laughed. “I really hope you can stay for dinner. We have a lot of catching up to do.”

“Well, we just came be to say hello and to see how you guys were doing. We need to get home.”

“Oh, Steve, I won’t take no for an answer. I insist you stay.”

“Yeah, Steve, you really wouldn’t like to see her upset.” Tony added.

“Please Daddy, let’s stay,” Livy pleaded.

“That’s totally not fair. It’s three against one,” Steve complained. “Fine, we’ll stay, but we’re not staying that late. I have work to do.”

* * *

 

They ordered pizza for dinner. They were having a nice time catching up when all of a sudden Stark blurts out, “Let’s go to Malibu for a week. You can bring Sharon along.”

“I’m sorry, Tony, but Sharon’s on a business trip. Also, I have work to do, and I have to take Livy to ballet classes. The classes start on Monday, and it’s Monday thru Friday the whole summer.”

“When does Sharon get back from her business trip?”

“In two or three days.”

“Here’s the plan. We’ll go in two weeks that way the first week you can take Liv to her ballet class. I’ll talk with Sharon’s father and convince him to give her the week off. I know Dan will give you a week off because you haven’t asked for vacation time at all.”

“Who will take care of Livy and take her to ballet classes?” Steve asked, trying to outsmart Tony.

“Well, you have lots of friends. Let’s see, you can leave her with Wanda, Pietro, Bucky, Thor, Clint, or Sam. Come on, say yes. You need a vacation.”

“Livy, do you want to go to Malibu? If you do, I can always tell Miss Romanoff that you won’t take the ballet class,” Steve told his daughter.

“No, Daddy, I want to go to ballet class. I don’t want to go to Malibu,” Livy stated.

“Ok, Tony. I’ll let you know if Sharon wants to go, and if they give me time off of work.”

“Great! I know you’ll enjoy yourself!”

Truth be told, Steve wasn’t enthusiastic about going all the way to the other shore of the US without Livy. It will be his first time being away from her since Peggy’s death, and he’s not sure if he’s ready. On the other hand, he was looking forward to spending some time alone with Sharon. Because of her business trips for Carter Enterprise, her father’s company, they had drifted a little. He was really hoping this would bring them closer again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will not be updating next week because I will be going to summer camp, and I won't have Internet. Hopefully, I'll be able to post a chapter the week after. In the meantime, I would love to see what you guys think of the story so far. I'm open for suggestions and ideas as well. I know where this story is going, but if you have an idea, feel free to tell me. I may include it in the story. ;)


	6. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait. Hopefully, this chapter will make up for keeping you waiting. Since I know that you are eager to read the chapter, I will explain my long absence at the end.  
> Happy reading!

* * *

 

Natasha was thinking about Steve Rogers all afternoon. She tried to focus on decorating her new office, but her thoughts would often wander. She couldn’t stop thinking of his muscular body and his baby blue eyes. Thinking about his eyes made her think about the sadness she detected behind those gorgeous blue eyes. Being the observer she was, she couldn’t help but notice the traces of sadness and pain behind them. She also noticed that he looked like he hadn’t slept well in a long time. Something must have happened in his past, and she was curious. She wanted to find out, but she knew that it was none of her business. He was a client, and she needed to respect his privacy. Besides, she just met the man.

While she was thinking about this, Maria asked her something, but obviously, she didn’t hear her. Suddenly, she heard Maria saying, “Hello? Earth to Natasha.”

Natasha snapped back to reality. “Yes, Maria?”

“You were miles away. What were you thinking about?”

“Nothing,” Natasha lied.

Maria eyed her suspiciously. “You were thinking about the man that came in today,” she stated.

“Yes, I was,” Natasha admitted. “There was something about him. You could see it in his eyes.”

“Well, I didn’t. He looked like any other man. Anyways, back to work. Where do you want me to put this file cabinet?”

Natasha looked around the room a minute. “Over there in the corner by the window.”

After Maria placed the file cabinet where Natasha wanted it, she looked at the time. “My goodness, time surely flies. Tasha, I have to go get ready for my shift at the police station. Do you need me to help you tomorrow?”

“No, I don’t. I’m already done setting up most of the big furniture. I just need to wait until the men are done remodeling the building.”

“All right, if you need anything tomorrow, just give me a call.”

“I will. Have a good time on your shift.”

“Haha, very funny. I hope it’s not a busy night.” Maria grabbed her stuff and headed towards the door. “Tasha, I want you to call me when you get home, and please whatever you do, don’t let it get dark outside before leaving. I would feel much better if you were home before dark.”

Natasha rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry, Maria, I’ll be fine.”

“I’m serious ok. The minute you get home, call me. No later.”

“I will. Take care.”

“You too.”

* * *

 

Livy woke up excited. She couldn’t wait to have dinner at Wanda’s apartment. Because of her excitement, she woke up before Steve did. She tiptoed downstairs thinking he was already awake. She silently walked into the kitchen and was surprised to see it was empty.

“Daddy? Are you in here?” the little girl asked. Receiving no response, she decided to check his bedroom. She crept up the stairs to her dad’s room. She carefully opened the door and heard someone snoring. Cautiously, she slipped in and closed the door. She walked over to the bed and got on it. She waited a few moments and watched her dad sleep. Suddenly, she pounced on Steve, startling him awake. Seeing it was his daughter, he wrapped his arms around her, enveloping her in a hug.

“Good morning, Princess,” he greeted her.

“Good morning, Daddy!”

He turned his head to get a glimpse of the time. It was a little after seven thirty. “Wow! You’re up early!”

“When are we going to Aunt Wanda’s house?”

“Now, I know why you woke up early. You’re excited to see your Aunt Wanda.” Livy nodded her head. “Well, Princess, we have to be there at six, so that means we have almost ten more hours.”

“How long is ten hours?”

“It’s a long, long time.”

Livy frowned. She didn’t like waiting at all, so Steve decided to distract her. “How about we go eat breakfast? After breakfast, I need to work on my new art project, so you can play or color.”

“Ok,” Livy consented.

“So, what do you want for breakfast?”

“Lucky Charms!”

“No, I don’t think that will be possible. I forgot to buy another box, and we already ran out,” Steve explained. The truth was that the last time he bought Lucky Charms Livy had gotten a sugar high that apparently had effect on her way beyond her naptime. Because she didn’t want to lie down for a nap, she later was all grumpy and upset. Steve knew not to buy that cereal even though it had quickly become her favorite.

“But, Daddy, I want Lucky Charms,” the little four year old pouted.

“Princess, I told you, we don’t have any. How about we eat scrambled eggs and toast? You can spread a little bit of jam or Nutella on your toast,” Steve suggested in an attempt to get his daughter’s mind averted from the Lucky Charms.

With the mention of Nutella, Livy perked up. “I want Nutella!” she exclaimed while jumping up and down on the bed.

“All right, let’s go to the kitchen, and we’ll eat breakfast shortly.” Livy ran out of the room to start “making” breakfast. Steve got up shortly after. He was still a little tired, but he knew he had to start his day sooner or later.

* * *

 

After breakfast, Steve gave Livy a bath. He wanted to do it quickly, but unfortunately for him, Livy loved playing in the water after her bath. She begged him with the adorable puppy face to let her stay in the tub playing for a little bit. He decided to give her ten minutes to play that way he could get a little bit of work done.

He started searching for his notebook and art supplies. He couldn’t find them anywhere. Then he remembered he took them to the park the day before. “But where did I leave my backpack?” he thought. He went through all his actions of the day before. “Let’s see. I know I didn’t leave it at my office or at the ballet studio or at the park. After the park we went to Stark Tower, and then, we came home.” He stood there staring into blank space trying to remember. Then, realization struck. He had forgotten it at the Tower. “Oh no,” he groaned. He took out his phone and dialed Tony’s number. It rang for a little bit before the familiar voice answered.

**“This is Tony Stark. How may I help you this morning?”** Stark sarcastically said.

“Haha, very funny Stark,” Steve answered.

**“No, seriously, you never call me this early in the morning. Do I need to go take care of Livy for a while because I would be delighted to do so.”**

“No, you don’t need to come down. I called you because I think I left my backpack there last night.”

**“Which backpack?”**

“Seriously. You know which one. It’s the black one I always carry around.”

**“Oh, the one that has the notebook with the drawing of a beautiful lady?”**

Steve cringed. He decided to play oblivious. “What drawing of what beautiful lady?”

**“Oh you know. The one with the red hair. It’s signed by you. Unless, someone forged your** **signature and put the notebook in the backpack.”**

“Just bring the backpack over please. I need it to work on my next project.”

**“I’ll be there in ten.”**

Steve hung up and sighed. Tony would not let this go anytime soon.

While Steve waited for Tony, he helped Livy put some clothes on and comb her hair. He was almost done combing through her hair when the doorbell rang. Livy jumped up and ran to open the door.

“Livy!” Steve called out. “Don’t open the door before you ask who it is.”

Livy didn’t do that. She just opened the door. Upon seeing Tony, she screamed, “Uncle Tony!” She jumped on him to give him a hug. “Where’s Aunt Pepper?”

Tony made a mock expression of hurt. “You’re not happy to see me?”

Livy quickly answered, “Yeah I am.”

“I’m glad. Your Aunt Pepper is working right now. I just came to drop off your dad’s backpack.”

By this time, Steve had already come to the door. “Livy, why don’t you go play. I need to talk to your Uncle Tony.”

Disappointed, Livy went to her room to play. Once Steve made sure she was out of earshot, he turned to Tony. “Why did you snoop?”

“Oh, Cap, I just wanted to see what new drawings you had.”

“You should have asked me last night.”

“I forgot,” he lamely replied. “So, who is the lady?” He took out the notebook and flipped to the page.

Steve rolled his eyes. “She’s no one.” He reached for the notebook, but Tony moved out of his reach.

“I don’t think you would start using a muse. With that expertise of drawing, I think it must be someone very special to you.” Tony was saying this while he was walking to Livy’s playroom. He knew he could get the munchkin to spill the secret.

Steve realized what Tony was going to do, so he started following him. “Really, it’s no one. I drew it at the park. I might have just chosen some random person to draw while Livy was sleeping,” Steve said with a hint of nervousness in his voice. He knew that if Livy saw it, she would recognize her right away.

“You know, Cap, you suck at lying.” He walked into Livy’s playroom. “Hey, munchkin, I was wondering if you could help me out with something.”

Livy turned her attention to Tony. “With what?”

“With nothing,” Steve interfered. “He was just about to leave, and he came to say bye.” Turning to Stark he said, “Isn’t that right, Tony?”

“Well, that’s part of it, but first I have a mission to complete. Livy,” he said while turning around the drawing so that Livy had a good view, “could you tell me who this is?”

Livy saw the drawing and immediately recognized who it was. “That’s my ballet teacher."

Tony gave a Steve a smirk. “What’s her name?”

“I don’t remember. Daddy, what’s my ballet teacher’s name?”

“Yeah, Steve, what’s her name?” Tony emphasized.

Steve sighed and “thought” a little. He didn’t want to answer right away because he would never hear the end of it from Tony. “If I recall, her name is Natasha Romanoff,” he said slowly.

“Oh that’s right,” Livy said. “That is her name. I like her. She’s really nice and pretty. We met her yesterday, and she almost fell over some tools, but Daddy saved her.”

“Is that so?” Tony looked over at Steve with a lot of curiosity.

“Well, I couldn’t just let her fall,” Steve pointed out.

“Aha. Well, I’ll be going now. Thank you, Livy, for helping me out. Be good for your Daddy today.” He went to hug Livy goodbye. Livy hugged him back and kissed him on the cheek.

Both Steve and Tony walked out of Livy’s playroom. “You and I need to have a serious talk together,” Tony commented.

“Look, it’s nothing. I was bored and drew the first thing that came to mind.”

“I think it’s kind of weird that you draw a lady you had just met, and you’ve never once drawn Sharon.

“Ok, I’ve never drawn Sharon because she doesn’t want me to draw her. Besides, she isn’t too keen of art.”

“And you’re ok with that?”

“I respect her likes just like she respects mine. And, please don’t mention this drawing to her. I don’t want her to think that I’m cheating on her,” Steve said, then quickly added, “which clearly I’m not cheating on her.”

“You have my word, I’ll stay out of this, but I can’t wait to find out what happens when she finds out. I think I’ll have to have popcorn on the side to enjoy the show.”

Steve rolled his eyes. “I need to get to work because later I’m going to Wanda’s apartment for dinner.”

“And that’s my cue to leave, isn’t it?” Steve nodded in response. “All right, duty calls anyway. Tell Wanda I said hi.”

“I will. Have a good day.” With that, Tony left. Steve felt a little relieved that he left. He really didn’t like it that everyone was prying into his private life and voicing their opinion of Sharon. Why did anyone care who he dated anyway? At least that’s a step up from how he was coping last year. Besides, he saw the need of a mother in Livy’s life. All in all, there was a little voice inside his head that was telling him that Sharon wasn’t the right one, but he would always shut that voice out because he knew he would never find the right one. Peggy was the right one for him, and she was gone. How can there possibly be someone else out there that will make him feel the way Peggy did?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a couple of months since I last updated. I had a very busy summer. The whole month of July I was working at a teen camp, and I didn't have internet. I would only come back home on the weekend, and it was to prepare for the next week. In August, I went to a music camp and was gone for a week and then school started. Once September rolled around, we were getting ready to go on a month long vacation in October. I came back and started preparing to go to a week-long conference. I got back from the conference and started catching up with school and making Christmas plans. On top of all that, I was suffering from writer's block. Finally, yesterday I decided to just write and see if I would get inspired and thankfully it worked. Thank you for waiting patiently for the next update. I'll try to post more often, but I won't promise anything.  
> While you're waiting for the next chapter, please let me know what you think of this chapter. I love reading your comments.


	7. Chapter 5

Livy was bouncing up and down with excitement as Steve and she walked up to Wanda’s apartment. She had been waiting for this all day long. Earlier, Steve had a little bit of a struggle putting her down for her nap, but she finally did when Steve told her that time would go by faster if she fell asleep.

Steve rang the doorbell, and shortly after, Wanda opened the door.

“Auntie Wanda!” Livy exclaimed. She jumped up and Wanda caught her. Livy started kissing Wanda’s cheek.

“Hey, Maggie! Did you miss me?” Wanda asked.

“Yeah!”

“She actually couldn’t wait to get here. She was practically bouncing off the walls at home,” Steve added.

“Hi, Steve, come on in,” Wanda said, remembering her manners. “How have you been? Did you sleep last night?”

“I’ve been fine, and yes, I slept a little bit last night.”

Wanda eyed him carefully. “I hope you did. You know you need to sleep appropriate hours. We don’t want you passing out from lack of sleep.”

“Relax, Wanda. I was in the army. Remember?”

“Yeah, but still one needs to sleep.”

Steve decided to switch the subject. “Who all is here?”

“Just your partner in crime.” As if on cue, Bucky came walking out of the kitchen.

“Hey guys! Long time no see. What’s been going on?” Bucky asked. In reality, they had seen each other the week before, but for the two friends, it seemed like a long time.

“Well, a couple of things have happened since last week, but I think we should wait for Pietro to get here so that we can all catch up together.”

Bucky nodded, and he looked over at Livy. Seeing that she was passionately hugging Wanda, he asked, “Well, Livs, where is my hug?”

She looked at Bucky and snuggled closer to Wanda. “I want to stay with Aunt Wanda.”

“Olivia, give your Uncle Bucky a hug,” Steve told her.

“It’s ok. She wants to be with Wanda right now. I’ll get my hug from her later.”

A couple minutes later, Pietro and his girlfriend Allison arrived. After greetings were exchanged, Wanda called everyone to the dining room table. On the table there was lasagna, salad, and garlic bread. Everything smelled delicious. Once everyone was seated at the table, they started passing each other the food to serve themselves. Everyone was enjoying catching up with each other.

Sometime in the middle of the meal, Wanda remembered that Livy was going to go look at a ballet school, so she decided to ask about it. “Hey, Maggie, what happened about the ballet school?”

Livy’s eyes immediately brightened. “I’m going to take classes,” she announced, gleefully.

“Oh, that’s so nice!”

Bucky turned to look at Steve. “When were you going to tell me that you had enrolled her in a ballet school?”

“I was going to tell you, but I just enrolled her yesterday. Sorry.”

“You take everything so seriously. I’m just kidding with you.”

Livy didn’t really like it that the attention had steered away from her, so she decided to say something interesting. “I already met my teacher. Her name is…” she frowned. “Daddy, what did you say her name was?”

“Umm,” Steve looked down at his plate. “Let me think.” Once again, he didn’t want to make it obvious that he knew it by answering right away. “Now, I remember. It’s Natasha Romanoff.”

“Oh right. She’s really pretty, and she’s really nice. She has red hair.”

“Really?” Wanda asked amused. Livy nodded. “What else can you tell me about her?”

“Well, she almost fell, and Daddy saved her! Then they stared into each other’s for a really long time!”

A silence fell on the group, and everyone eyed Steve suspiciously. Steve started feeling slightly uncomfortable. Breaking the silence, Pietro asked the question in everyone’s mind, “Is that so? Care to explain?”

Steve started to poke at his food. He really didn’t like being the center of attention especially when it came to this topic. “Well, how could I let her fall?”

“Oh, come on, Steve, don’t play dumb. You know exactly what Pietro asked to explain,” Wanda said impatiently.

“Well, she was pretty, but I already have Sharon. Nothing happened.”

“Sure nothing happened,” Bucky said sarcastically.

Steve rolled his eyes. “Yeah, nothing happened, and since nothing happened, we can move on. I’m going to Malibu with Tony, Pepper, and Sharon in two weeks. I need you, Wanda, to take care of Livy.”

“Well, I have to work during the day. Who will take care of her then?”

“Don’t worry about that. She’ll be in ballet class from 10 to 11; then either one of you guys can pick her up. I’ll leave that up to you guys to decide. I just want to know if you’ll be willing to help out.”

“Of course we’ll help out!”

“Yeah, Wanda’s right. We’re more than happy to help,” Allison confirmed. “I could take her to class in the morning because I don’t go into work until 10:30. Someone else would have to pick her up.”

“We can take turns picking her up,” Bucky suggested.

“That’s fine with me,” Pietro agreed.

“That’s more than fine with me. I’d really like to see Livy’s ballet teacher-I mean-ballet school,” Wanda eagerly said.

“Don’t get any ideas,” Steve told her.

“No, I won’t. Well, anyone up for dessert?”

Everyone said they were, so Wanda went to get the brownies she made and some ice cream. Things went by smoothly for the rest of evening. It would seem that everyone forgot about what Livy had said, but it was not so. Both Wanda and Bucky told Steve before he left that they needed to have a long talk. That meant that he not only had to talk to Stark but also to his sister and his best friend. At least Wanda and Bucky didn’t know about the drawing he drew. He was a little bit nervous that Livy would also say spill that, but lucky for him, she didn’t. As long as Sharon doesn’t find out about this, everything would be ok or would it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, back to back updates. I did get my inspiration back, so I'm writing as much as I can before I get writer's block again (hopefully that won't happen anytime soon). I'll see if I can update once more this week (I owe you guys), but I can't promise anything.
> 
> Thank you to those who have taken the time to review! Your lovely comments put a smile on my face, and they actually inspire me to keep writing because I know there are people who actually want to read my story.


	8. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally finished Chapter 6. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

 

The days leading up to Monday were really busy for Natasha. On Friday evening, the workers finished with the remodeling of the building. On Saturday, she spent most of the day setting up the final details. Before she knew it, it was Monday morning. If you asked Natasha, her morning couldn’t have been more disastrous. First, she woke up late because she didn’t hear her alarm. When she opened her eyes, she saw she was already thirty minutes behind schedule. She quickly got up and went to take a shower. As she was taking a shower, she finished her shampoo, so she made a mental note to buy more. She quickly put on the outfit she had picked out the night before. She went into the kitchen to prepare her coffee, but it hadn’t brewed. Nat knew she had set the timer to brew at 7:30, but when she checked it, she saw that the timer was not set. Frustrated she opted to just go ahead and stop at Dunkin Donuts to buy herself a cup of coffee and maybe, just maybe, a donut even though that was not part of her diet as a ballerina. The next thing that went wrong was that she could not find her car keys or her wallet. By the time she found them, it was already 8:30. She had to be at the studio at 9 for her first class. She dashed out the door, quickly locked her apartment and ran down the stairs. Once she was in the car, she put the key into the ignition and turned it, but the car would not turn on. She was already really late, and she knew that she would not make it in time for her first class. Since her ten o’clock class wasn’t that full, she decided to send a message to her students that for today the class would start at 10. After sending the message, she tried starting her car again with no success. She thought about taking the subway, but she knew Maria wouldn’t accept that. She decided to go with Plan B. She dialed a phone number and waited for the person on the other side to pick up.

**“Detective Barton.”**

“Hey,Clint. It’s Nat.”

**“Nat? I thought you were already receiving students or warming up or something. Is something wrong?”**

“Yes, I mean, not in the way you’re thinking. My car broke down.”

**“Where?”**

“I’m still at the apartment.”

**“You’re still at your apartment?!”** Clint asked incredulously.

“Yes,” Natasha answered meekly.

**“What are you doing there? I thought you had your first class at 9.”**

“It’s a long story. You could say I haven’t had a very good morning. Before you go on about how I’m going to lose students, I already sent out a message to change the class to 10. My nine and ten o’clock classes aren’t that full, so I can do both for today. I called to ask if you could come pick me up, and if you could do me a favor of making sure my car goes to the mechanic.”

**“Of course, I’ll pick you up, and don’t worry about the car. I’ll take care of that.”**

“Thanks, Clint. How far away are you?”

**“I’ll be there in 10-15 minutes.”**

“All right, I’ll be waiting.”

Fifteen minutes later, Clint and Natasha were on their way to the ballet studio. “Care to tell me what happened this morning?”

Natasha bowed her head in embarrassment. “I woke up late, and things went downhill from there,” was all she answered.

Clint nodded his head in comprehension. In the little bit of time he has known Natasha, he knew better than to press for details. She was a very private person, and he could understand why given her past. But even though he knew her past, he knew she hadn’t shared all the details with him.

“Clint, do you mind if we quickly stop at Dunkin Donuts so that I can buy coffee?”

“Yeah sure, but be quick.”

“I’ll be quick, but I can’t guarantee the workers will be.”

Once Natasha had her coffee, they were on their way to the studio.

**Meanwhile…**

Livy was super excited that it was Monday. Her dream would finally come true. She was going to be a ballerina. The whole time Steve was making breakfast, Livy was dancing around the kitchen. Before Livy knew it, it was time to leave the house. They left around 9:30 just in case there was a little bit of traffic. They got to the ballet studio in 20 minutes. Steve decided to park on the street instead of the parking lot because he wasn’t going to stay long and he didn’t want to pay money for ten minute parking. When Livy got out of the car, she started running towards the ballet studio.

“Livy! Don’t run! Wait for me right there!” Steve called out.

Livy turned around and stopped. Since she had so much energy, she started jumping up and down. “Hurry up, Daddy!”

Steve jogged to catch up. Once he was with her, he took her hand. They were about two blocks away, so Steve didn’t want Livy crossing the street on her own.  When they got in to the building, Steve was amazed at how beautifully decorated it was. Being an artist, he knew how to appreciate most anything. The colors of the wall were coral. On the walls, there were silhouette drawings of ballerinas in different dance positions. The color of the furniture was white with accents of grey and mint. He was impressed with how it was decorated.

Once Steve located the desk, he made his way over. He wasn’t exactly sure where he was supposed to take Livy. There was a lady with long black hair sitting at the desk talking on the phone.

“Excuse me,” Steve said to make his presence known.

The lady looked up and mouthed, “One minute.”

Steve nodded and continued to look around. Livy was impatiently bouncing up and down. “Daddy, how much longer?”

“We have to wait ‘til the lady is done talking on the phone. I need to ask her a question.”

Livy sighed. She hated waiting especially when it came to something she loved doing.

“Hello, sir. Sorry to keep you waiting. I’m Daisy Johnson. How may I help you?”

“Oh, don’t worry about it. I’m Steve Rogers. I enrolled my daughter for the ten o’clock class. I’m not exactly sure where I’m supposed to take her.”

“I see. Well, Natasha still hasn’t gotten here. I was just talking to her because there are some others waiting. Her car broke down this morning, so she’s running late. Good news is that she is almost here. If you’d like to wait, there are some chairs in the hall to your right. Actually, that’s where she has the classrooms, but I’m not sure which one she’ll be using.”

“Thank you for your help, Miss Johnson.”

“No problem, that’s what I’m here for.”

Steve and Livy made their way to the hallway to the right. As Daisy had said, there were others already waiting. When Livy saw all the people, she all of a sudden got shy. She hid behind Steve so that she wouldn’t see people looking at her.  There were some teens, but mostly there were kids between the ages of five and seven. The adults that were there were ladies. Steve felt a little uncomfortable as he realized he was the only guy there. He took a seat and put Livy on his lap. She immediately buried her face on Steve’s shoulder. Not even five minutes had passed before Natasha had walked in.

“I am so sorry that I was late,” Natasha apologized. “My car broke down this morning, and I had to call someone to pick me up. Parents, you are more than welcomed to stay to observe the first class. If you’re leaving, we will be in the second room in this hall on the right side, so you know where to pick your child up.” Natasha then walked to the door she pointed out and unlocked the door. She had come in in such a hurry that she didn’t see Steve or Livy.

“Daddy, can you please stay?” Livy asked.

“I’ll stay for a little bit, but then I have to go to work, ok?”

Livy nodded. She grabbed his hand, and they both walked into the room. Natasha saw them and noticed that Livy was hiding herself behind Steve. She made her way over. “Hi! It’s nice to see you two again,” she said to Steve and Livy. _“Wow, Romanoff, you just had to say that,”_ she thought. _“I know, so that it won’t seem obvious that I actually still remember their names, I’ll ask again.”_ “I’m sorry. Could you please remind me of your names?”

“I’m Steve Rogers, and this is Livy,” Steve answered.

“Oh right! I remember seeing her name on the form you filled out. Isn’t her first name, Margaret?”

Steve stiffened at the mention of Livy’s first name. No one used it because they all knew that it still made Steve sensitive, but of course, he can’t blame her for using it because she doesn’t know. “Yeah, it is, but no one calls her that.”

Natasha, being the observer she was, noticed he had stiffened. She knew there must be more to his story, but she wouldn’t press for details. After all, he was just the parent of one of her students. “Oh, so what do you call her?”

“I call her Livy. My sister calls her Maggie. My best friend calls her Livs. She also has the nickname of Munchkin, that one is exclusive to one of her uncles, Magpie, and Olivia.”

“Wow! Those are a lot of nicknames!” Natasha crouched down to be at eye level with Livy. “Which one do you prefer?”

Livy just stared at her. “Livy, answer your teacher,” Steve prodded.

She stared a little longer before she answered. “I don’t know.”

Natasha laughed. “That’s ok.”

When Steve heard Natasha’s laughter, it sounded like music to his ears. He smiled a little bit. “You can call her Livy, Maggie, or Olivia. The other ones are kind of reserved.”

“All right. Well, we need to get started. Livy, would you mind coming with me to the center of the room with the others?”

Livy nodded her head. Natasha held out her hand, and Livy grabbed it. Once Steve saw that Livy had started feeling comfortable, he decided to leave. As he was arriving at the art studio, his phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, he answered it immediately.

“Hi, Sharon! How are you?”

**“I’m great, Steve! And you?”**

“Fine, thank you. Are you back yet?”

**“Yes, I got in last night. It took a little longer than I thought.”**

“The important thing is that you got back safely.”

**“Yeah. I was wondering if we could meet up for lunch.”**

“Of course! I would really like that. I’m sure Livy will want to see you too.”

**“Oh, uhmm, I was thinking you could come without Livy.”**

“Uhm, sure. I’ll just have to talk to Wanda or someone to see if they can watch her.”

**“Great! Be at my parent’s house at noon. We’ll be eating lunch in the gazebo.”**

“Ok, I’ll be there. See you later!”

Steve hung up. When he got into the studio, Wanda was at the desk.

“Good morning, Wanda.”

Wanda looked up from her work. “Good morning, Steve. Maggie’s in her ballet class?”

“Yes, she is. I need to ask a favor from you.”

“Go on ahead.”

“Sharon just called me, and she wants to meet up for lunch but without Livy. Could you watch her during your lunch break?”

“Yes, I can watch her, but why doesn’t Sharon want Livy to go too? I mean it’s been a couple of weeks since she has last seen her.”

“I think she wants to spend time with me for now. I honestly don’t know.”

“Aha,” was all Wanda answered. That was another thing about Sharon she didn’t like. Sharon claimed that she loved Maggie, yet she wouldn’t spend much time with her.

“After your lunch, you can take her to Sam’s. Today is his day off.”

“Yeah, sure. Does he know he’s supposed to watch her?”

“Yes, I sent him a text letting him know.”

“Do I need to pick up Maggie from her ballet class?”

“No, that’s not necessary. Thanks for your help. I need to get to work.”

“No problem. Have fun!”

Steve knew Wanda was always willing to take care of Livy, but whenever he would ask her to take care of her when he was going out with Sharon (which was pretty often), he would perceive her dislike. He thought it would fade with time, but once again, he saw her dislike and suspicion. He was a bit frustrated that she would always frown upon his “love life.” He wanted her to understand that Sharon and he needed time alone without Livy. But there was a nagging voice inside his head that told him that if Sharon were ever to become Livy’s mother, she needed to spend more time with her. _“No problem,”_ he thought, _“I’ll just have to come up with ways Sharon and Livy can bond; then, all will be fine.”_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm thinking of updating at least once a week because my life just got busy again. While you're waiting for the next chapter, please tell me in the comments what you think.


	9. Chapter 7

When Steve went to pick up Livy at 11, he saw her eyes shining with excitement. Her cheeks were a rosy pink color which was probably from all the exercise she performed today. When Livy saw him, she came running towards him and gave him a big hug. It melted his heart seeing his daughter so happy. He hadn’t seen her so joyful in quite some time, about a year to be more precise. Seeing her happiness, he felt a little guilty that he wasn’t going to eat lunch with her and hear all about her first ballet class. He kind of dreaded telling her about his last minute lunch date, so he decided to put it off a little.

Once they got in the car, he asked, “So, princess, how was your first ballet class?”

“It was fun! Miss Nat is really nice!” she replied, her face shining with happiness.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it.” Steve told her.

Livy kept chatting about her new friends and all about the ballet class, but Steve wasn’t really paying attention. He was getting nearer to the art studio, and he knew he needed to tell Livy he was going to eat lunch with Sharon. The thing is that he didn’t know how to tell her. Everything he thought of didn’t seem good enough.

Soon enough, too soon for Steve’s liking, they were at the studio. Steve parked the car and turned off the ignition. “It’s now or never,” he thought. He turned around to face Livy.

“Hey, Livy, I need to tell you something,” he started. Livy looked at him curiously while Steve took a deep breath. “How would you like to eat lunch with your Aunt Wanda and afterwards spend some time with your Uncle Sam?”

“Yes!” she yelled excitedly. “Can we go eat at McDonald’s?”

That question stung Steve. Of course she would think Steve was going too. “You’d better ask your Aunt Wanda.”

“Why, Daddy?”

Steve took another deep breath. “It’s just that I…umm…I have a date with Sharon.”

Livy’s smile quickly turned upside down. “Do you have to go?” she asked, disappointment evident in her voice.

“Yes, princess,” Steve sadly replied, “but I promise that tomorrow after your ballet class you and I will spend the rest of the day together.”

“Promise?”

“I promise,” Steve reassured her.

“Ok.” Livy replied.

Steve breathed a sigh of relief. Her reaction was pretty much how he thought she was going to react, but the outcome was better than he imagined.

Steve dropped Livy off with Wanda and kissed Livy goodbye. He reminded Wanda to drop off Livy at Sam’s house before she clocked back into work after her lunch break. Then, he was on his way. While he was driving, he was thinking if he should get something nice for Sharon. He went through a list of gifts in his mind. “Flowers…nope, she’s allergic. Chocolate…nope, she worries too much about her figure. Jewelry…nope, a little bit too extravagant and expensive.” He kept thinking. Suddenly, he remembered that Sharon loved manicures. “I think I should buy her a nail polish.” He stopped at the next Walgreens. When he got to the nail polish section, he wasn’t expecting to be greeted with so many different shades of nail polish. He just stared at them dumbfounded. He would have changed his mind if his eye didn’t catch a color that he had seen Sharon wear numerous amounts of times. It was a light purple color which he believed to be lavender.  

                                                                                            

He grabbed it and was about to go pay when he saw a darker shade of purple. He looked at the two colors and decided to get it as well since they would go nicely together.

                                                                                               

He then thought to get a small gift bag to put them in. Once he made his purchases, he dashed to his car. It was 11:40, and he still had a ways to go. He also knew that Sharon despised tardiness. So did he, but he could put up with someone being a few minutes late. Sharon, however, couldn’t.

Around 12:25, Steve pulled into Burkewood Road Mount Vernon, NY which was the street Sharon’s parents lived on. Although Sharon lived in an apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, Steve had been to her parents’ house many times. Once he pulled into the familiar driveway, he checked the time. Thankfully, he still had a few minutes to spare, but he knew Sharon would be happier if he rang the doorbell now. Steve grabbed the gift bag and got out of his car. He made his way up the walkway to the door.

                                                         

Once he got to the door, he rang the doorbell. He didn’t have to wait long. Mr. Dubois, the Carter’s butler, answered the door.

“Welcome, Mr. Rogers. Miss Carter is waiting for you in the gazebo.”

“Thanks, Mr. Dubois.” Steve made his way towards the back of the house to the exit that led to the backyard and the gazebo. Sure enough, Sharon was waiting for him. She was on her phone texting rapidly. No doubt she was working. Steve walked towards the gazebo. When he got there, he made sure to make a little bit of noise to signal his presence and not startle Sharon.

Sharon looked up when she heard someone approaching. “Steve! It’s so nice to see you! I missed you so much!” Sharon exclaimed as she got up to greet him.

“It’s so good to see you too, and I missed you as well,” Steve answered, smiling. He pulled Sharon into his embrace and kissed her gently on the lips. Sharon deepened the kiss a little more before Steve broke it.

“I have something for you,” Steve said.

“You do?” Sharon asked, her eyes widening.

Steve nodded his head and gave her the gift bag. Sharon opened it. “I love this color!” She exclaimed while holding the light purple nail polish. “And this one will go well with it. I can paint all of them with the lighter one expect for my ring finger, and paint that one with this one. That was so thoughtful of you, Steve! Thank you!” She gave him another hug and a quick kiss.

“Please, have a seat. Miss Cunningham should be here any minute with our lunch.”

Steve sat down across from Sharon. “How have you been?”

“I’ve been very busy. It seems as if my work will never end, but the good thing is that all is going well.”

“That’s great to hear,” Steve told her.

At that moment, Miss Cunningham brought in a platter with an array of finger foods. She set it down on the table and left.

“How have you been?” Sharon asked, returning Steve’s question.

“I’ve been fine. There’s been nothing out of the usual except for Livy starting her ballet classes today. Nothing much has happened.”

“Oh? Livy’s attending ballet classes?” Sharon asked surprised.

“Yeah, she is. Didn’t I tell you about it?”

“No, you didn’t. I think you forgot to mention it.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Steve apologized.

“That’s ok. Anyways, isn’t she a little too young to take ballet classes?”

“Yes, she is. The classes are for ages five and up, but the teacher gave her permission to start early since she’s tall for her age. She told me that she would give Livy simple things to work on, and if she sees Livy has no problem with it, she’ll catch her up to the others in Livy’s class,” Steve explained.

Sharon nodded her head in response. “I just hope she doesn’t get hurt,” she said a little worriedly.

“Don’t worry about her. She is a strong girl for her age, and even if she does get hurt I know that it won’t stop her from pursuing her dream.”

“I guess you’re right.”

“So, how was your business trip?”

Sharon smiled. “My business trip went well, better than expected actually. I finally closed the deal my father has been trying to close for months now.”

“Wow! That’s great!”

“Yep! As a reward, my father is giving me a month of vacation whenever I want it. He wanted me to take it now, but I asked him if I could choose when I want it and if it could be split up for different times. He reluctantly agreed to it.”

“Why don’t you want to take it now?”

“I’m saving it for a time I can actually plan a vacation. Right now, there’s a lot to do to get the deal up and running. I have to oversee everything because I closed it.”

“Oh, I understand. Exactly what deal did you close?”

Sharon laughed. “Seriously? I thought I told you.”

“I guess I forgot,” Steve replied innocently.

“My father wants to build a branch of Carter Enterprises in Japan. He has been trying to get permission to build it, but the Japanese government would keep blocking him. He would offer them many things, but the answer was still no. When I went, I offered them 25% of the profits. I also told them that Japanese people were welcome to work for the company. I told them my goal was to establish it and bring over some people from headquarters to show the Japanese how to run the company. Once they get it, little by little I’ll promote the hardworking and trustworthy Japanese and have the Americans that had those posts leave. So, the emperor’s Cabinet decided to go directly to the emperor…” Sharon kept talking about the business trip making sure not leave out any of the details.

Steve, however, tuned out, though it was not because he wanted to. He liked hearing about Sharon’s job, but at that precise moment, Wanda’s words popped up in his mind. He started thinking about how he could bring up the topic of Livy.

About midway through her story, Sharon noticed Steve wasn't listening. "Steve? Steeve?"

Steve snapped out of his thoughts. "Did you ask me something?"

"No, I just noticed you weren't listening."

"I'm sorry about that."

"It seemed like you were miles away. Did something else happen while I was gone?'

"No, nothing happened. I was just thinking about something someone told me."

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“As a matter of fact, I do.”

“All right. What did this person tell you?”

“Well, the person expressed his concern that you aren’t spending time with Livy.”

Sharon immediately knew who Steve was talking about, and her smile faded. “This person didn’t happen to be Wanda, right?”

Steve lowered his head. “It was Wanda.”

For some reason, Sharon and Wanda didn’t get along. Every time Steve would tell Sharon about a complaint from Wanda about their relationship, Sharon would get annoyed. “When and why did she tell you that?”

“She told me today when I asked her if she could eat lunch with Livy and later take her to Sam’s house. I guess she told me that because you only wanted to have lunch me. She asked why Livy couldn’t go and said that it’s been a couple of weeks since you saw her. I told her that you probably just wanted to spend some time with me, and she didn’t say more.”

“I see. Why is it bothering you then?”

“Well, I guess what Wanda said got me to thinking, and she’s somewhat right. You really haven’t been spending time with Livy lately.”

“You overthink sometimes. It’s true that I haven’t spent a lot of time with Livy, but that’s because I’ve been a little busy with work. But you can stop your worrying because I do have some plans for outings with just Livy and me.”

“You do?”

“Yes, I have a lot of plans.”

“Like what?”

“Well, I was thinking about taking her to the aquarium and horseback riding. Also, for when her birthday rolls around, I plan on taking her to eat at the American Girl Café. And…”

“But she doesn’t even have an American Girl doll,” Steve cut in.

“That’s not a problem, Steve. I’m going to give her one for her birthday. I’ll, of course, have to get a catalogue and have her see it with me. Once I know which one she wants, I’ll order it. Before going to the café, I’ll give it to her,” Sharon laid out simply.

“You know, you don’t have to get her an American Girl doll. She’s content with the dolls she has.”

Sharon shook her head back and forth. “Steve, how can you be so naïve? Once she goes to school, all the girls will talk about their dolls, and one will get the idea to either take them to school or have a tea party with them. Most probable, all the girls will have an American Girl of their own. Do you want Livy to feel left out do you?”

Steve sighed. “Look, Sharon. I’m showing her to be content with what she has, so if something like that were to happen, she won’t feel bad. I’ll give you permission to give the doll to her because it’s a gift you want to give her, and I don’t want to discourage that good deed. Just promise me that that will be the only thing she gets for her birthday.”

“I promise,” Sharon said.

“So, back to the topic. Whenever you want to do something with Livy, let me know. I also would like it if the three of us did something together.”

 “Of course. Just let all of this with my deal pass, and we can do something.”

“Fair enough.” Steve then remembered Tony’s invitation. “One more thing.”

“What’s that?”

“Tony invited us to go to Malibu with Pepper and him next week.”

“Next week?!” Sharon exclaimed.

“Wait. I know you are busy trying to put everything of your Japan deal in order, but you know Tony. He won’t take no for an answer. I know I should have asked you first, but he needed an answer. You can put everything on hold for a week, right?”

“I guess so,” Sharon consented. “Besides, it will be fun. I’ll take one of those weeks of vacation my dad gave me. Is Livy going too?”

“No, she wanted to stay her for her ballet classes, so I asked Wanda to babysit her with the help of Buck, Allison, and Pietro.”

Sharon nodded her head. She started talking about what she was going to pack and what she was going to do while in Malibu.

By that time, they had already been served the main course which was Fettuccini Alfredo. The rest of the afternoon went by smoothly. Steve and Sharon got caught up and made plans for Malibu. It was almost three o’clock by the time Steve left. He felt confident that everything would be fine from now on with Sharon. It seemed like the future was pretty bright, and he couldn’t wait to go to Malibu.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally got around to updating. I hope all of you had a lovely Christmas and New Years. I know I did. That's the reason I hadn't updated. I was busy with preparations, and I didn't turn on my computer. But I haven't forgotten my story.  
> So, what do you guys think?


	10. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written for a request to have Nat and Livy interact a little more. Marshmalloween, this one's for you.

* * *

 

Natasha’s last ballet class ended at 8 P.M. Even though the start of her day was pretty rough, it was a great day. She loved seeing all the enthusiastic faces of her students. She only hoped that they would stay that way as the course advanced. Most of her students were beginners, but she did have a couple of students that already knew the basics. She also had a few that were a bit more advanced. She talked to them and decided to add two extra classes for them. She didn’t want to hinder them by keeping them in the beginner’s class. She cleaned the classrooms a bit after her last class. She didn’t know how she was going to get home. She didn’t really like the idea of getting on the subway, at least not yet. She also knew that if she did, she would get a good tongue-lashing from both Clint and Maria. She had forgotten to charge her phone last night, so her phone was already dead. She locked the last classroom and made her way to the front desk to use the phone. She was startled when she saw Daisy was still there.

“Daisy! You scared me! I thought you had already gone home.”

“I’m sorry. I was going to go, but I remembered that you didn’t bring your car, so I was waiting for you to see if you want a ride.”

“Oh, thank you, but I already have a ride,” Natasha lied.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure. In fact, my ride should be here any minute.”

“I’ll wait with you then,” Daisy offered.

“No, that’s no problem. You must be hungry and tired. Go on ahead and go home. I’ll be fine here.”

“Ok, thanks. Once you get home, call me.”

“I would, but my phone is dead.”

“In that case, I’ll see you tomorrow if you made home all right,” Daisy joked.

Natasha laughed a little. “Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow. Have a good night!”

“You too.” With that, Daisy left. Once she was out of sight, Natasha ran to the phone. She didn’t like being alone because one could never know what would happen. She quickly dialed Clint’s number.

**“Detective Barton.”**

Natasha let out a sigh of relief. “Hey, it’s Nat. Can you come pick me up?”

**“Hey, Nat. Unfortunately, I can’t, but I sent Maria to pick you up. Is she not there yet?”**

“No, she’s not.”

**“She should be there soon. If she doesn’t show in five, call me, and I’ll arrange something else.”**

“Ok,” Natasha said with a little bit of uneasiness in her voice.

Clint obviously heard detected it. **“Nat, you’ll be fine, ok?”**

“I know, but I can’t help but think of…”

**“Nat, don’t think about it. That’s in the past.”**

Just then, Maria walked in. “Maria’s here. I have to go.”

**“Good, and Nat, you’ll be fine.”**

“Yeah, thanks for reminding me.”

**“You’re welcome.”**

Nat hung up the phone and gathered her things.

“Tasha! You had me worried!” was the first thing Maria told Nat.

“Hello to you too, Maria,” Nat said, coolly.

“I mean it! I’ve been sending you texts and calling you, but you haven’t answered!”

“Don’t get too excited, Maria. I mean, how can I possibly answer my cell and read all of your texts when my phone is dead?”

“Well, how am I supposed to know that?” Maria countered.

Nat rolled her eyes, “If it was really urgent, you could have called the studio.”

“I lost the number.”

Nat sighed. She grabbed a business card from off her desk. “Don’t lose it.”

Maria took a look at it and put it in her pocket. “Well, let’s get you home.”

Natasha gathered her things and both ladies walked out the door. Once they were in the car, Maria spoke. “Your car is already fixed. You can drive to work tomorrow morning.”

“Oh, thanks for taking care of that. What was wrong with it?”

“The mechanic said it had something to do with the battery, but since I didn’t understand him, I didn’t pay attention.”

Nat nodded her head. “How much do I owe you?”

“Nothing,” Maria stated flatly.

“What do you mean nothing? It should have cost something to fix it.”

“Well, thank Clint for that.”

“Clint? I don’t get it,” Natasha said, confusion plastered on her face.

“Well, he’s a real good friend with the mechanic, and he fixes his cars for free. Well, come to think of it, mechanic isn’t the best word to use to describe him. He was a mechanic at one time, but now he owns a big company. Clint went to school with him way back when.”

Natasha just nodded her head in understanding. The rest of the way was quiet. Natasha was starting to fall asleep when they arrived at her apartment.

“Well, here we are. Don’t forget to charge your phone, and call me if you need anything,” Maria said.

“Don’t worry, Maria, I’ll be fine. Have a good night.”

“You too.”

Natasha opened the car door and got out. She walked up the stairs to the second floor to her apartment. She fumbled in her purse for her keys. Once she had them, she unlocked the door, went inside, and locked the door again. She set her stuff down on the couch and made her way to her room to get her pajamas to put on after her shower. After showering, she prepared herself a bowl of cereal and ate it. Soon after, she went to bed.

The rest of her week went by in pretty much the same manner except for being late and having her car break down. She was pleased with all of her students and their hard work, but one student’s work marveled her. Being the youngest ballet student Natasha had, she was the one that would work the hardest and would quickly catch on to what Natasha taught her. Natasha admired her, and as the week progressed, she started getting closer to her. One day in particular, Wednesday to be exact, her dad was running late. Natasha didn’t have another class to teach that day until after lunch, so she decided to wait in the lobby with the little girl. But I think I should tell about this from the beginning.

The ten o’clock ballet class came to a close. “Good job everyone! You are all doing very well! Keep practicing at home. Pack up your stuff, and wait in here until your parents come,” Natasha told the children. There was a patter of little feet as they went running to get there bags. The sounds of happy chatter and giggles filled the classroom. Soon, the sound started dying down as parents came to pick up their children. Natasha had observed the kids for a little before she started cleaning the classroom up a bit. She was almost done when she looked around the room to make sure there was no one left. She expected to be alone in the room, so she was surprised to see Livy sitting on the floor playing with a stuffed animal dog. Livy was always one of the first ones to leave, so Natasha wondered why her dad hadn’t come to pick her up. She walked over to Livy and crouched to her eye level.

“Hey, Livy, your dad hasn’t come to pick you up yet?”

“No, ma’am,” she responded politely and went back to playing.

“Why don’t we wait in the lobby until your dad gets here?”

Livy looked up and nodded. Natasha held out her hand, and Livy took it and got up. They walked hand in hand to the lobby and sat on the couch.

“So are you enjoying ballet?” Nat asked Livy.

“Yes,” Livy answered enthusiastically.

Nat noticed how her eyes lit up. She smiled at her sweetly. “What do you like most?”

Livy looked thoughtful for a minute. “I like everything, but the thing I like the most is you being my teacher.”

At that comment, Nat’s heart melted a little bit. “I enjoy being your teacher, and you are doing so well! You’re one of the most dedicated students I have.”

Livy cocked her head. “What does dedicated mean?”

“It means that you are working really hard,” Nat simply explained.

“Oh.”

“When is your birthday?”

“My birthday is at the end of August.”

“Do you know the day?”

“I think it’s the 29th. When’s yours?”

“Mine is on the 22nd of November. So you’re going to start school this year?”

“I think so. I’m going to go to kindergarten. Is that school?”

“Yes, it is. You’re going to be a big girl now, and you’re going to learn a lot of new things.”

Livy nodded her head. Natasha noticed that Livy was slowly warming up to her more than she had been. “What’s your favorite color?”

“Purple. What’s yours?”

“Red and black.”

“Why those if red is for love and black is for death?”

Natasha was taken aback by the question. Here is a four-year-old girl asking her a question of why her favorite colors were red and black and associating the colors with something specific. “I just like them. I think they go very well together in clothes.”

“I guess they do go together. Are you married?”

“Um, no, I’m not,” Natasha answered, hoping that she wouldn’t say anything else.

“Why not?”

“Because, um, I guess I still haven’t found the right person.”

“Do you have a boyfriend?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Did you ever have a boyfriend?”

“Um, I-I guess you can say that I did, but that was a long time ago.”

“What happened?”

Natasha didn’t know how curious a little girl could be about someone’s love life until that moment. She really didn’t want to talk about her love life to this innocent little girl, but she knew that Livy wouldn’t let it go. She had observed that Livy was very determined, so she was probably determined in getting answers as well. “Well, it’s a little too much for you to understand.”

“Why?”

Thankfully, Natasha didn’t have to answer that question because right at that moment Steve came in.

“I am so sorry I’m late. I had an unannounced meeting that went longer than I thought it would, so I didn’t call anyone to pick her up instead of me.”

“That’s all right. I don’t have my next class until after lunch, so you don’t have anything to worry about.”

“I hope she wasn’t a handful,” Steve said, signaling to Livy with his chin.

“Oh no, she was an angel. We got to know each other a little better, right?”

“Yes, daddy! I asked her if she was married, and she said no, so I asked her if she has a boyfriend, and she said no.”

Steve’s eyes widened, and he blushed from embarrassment. “I am so, so sorry she asked you those questions. I’m going to have to explain to her later why she shouldn’t have done that.”

“It’s ok. I know she’s young and filled with curiosity.”

“I hope she didn’t make you too uncomfortable with those questions.”

“Oh no, she didn’t,” Natasha lied.

“Good. Thanks for watching her while she was waiting for me. Also, I am very sorry for being late and not letting you know.”

“It was my pleasure to take care of her, and don’t worry about being late. I know that sometimes our plans change, and we’re not able to let someone know about that.”

“You’re right. By the way, I’ve been meaning to tell you something, but I keep forgetting or you’ve been busy.”

“Go on.”

“I’m going to be out of town next week, so I won’t be able to bring or pick her up.”

“So she won’t be coming next week?”

“No, no-I mean- yes, she will, but I wanted to let you know who would be dropping her off and picking her up.”

“All right, go on.”

“My brother’s girlfriend Allison is going to be dropping her off every day. Now, there will be a different person picking her up each day, but since I don’t know the order, I’ll just tell you their names. My sister Wanda, my best friend James-we call him Buck or Bucky-, and my brother Pietro. Two of them will be coming to pick her up twice. I’ll give you their phone numbers either tomorrow or Friday.”

“Ok. Let me see if I got it. Allison will be dropping her off every day, correct?” Steve nodded. “Wanda, James, and Pietro will be picking her up, and two of them will come two days?”

“That’s right.”

“Thanks for letting me know. I wouldn’t want to send her with someone else.”

“We’d better get going because we have some lunch plans.”

“Yeah, I need to go get lunch myself and prepare for my next class.”

“Livy, it’s time to go.” Livy stopped playing with her stuffed dog. Before going to her dad, she ran and gave Nat a hug. “Bye. See you later.”

“See you tomorrow. Practice at home, ok?”

“Ok.”

Livy ran to Steve and held his hand. Natasha watched them head out the door. She couldn’t help but wonder about Livy’s mother. She had never met her, seen her, or heard about her, but it was, after all, the first week she’s known them. Maybe she’ll get to meet her later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here's another chapter. I'm sorry for not updating weekly like I said I was, but I've been busy with school. I'll try to post again next week, but I won't promise anything.


	11. Chapter 9

The next week came before anyone knew it. Livy was super excited to be spending time with her aunts and uncles for a whole week. Steve was looking forward to his down time, but he was also glad to be spending time with Sharon with her not being so busy all of the time. Wanda, Bucky, Pietro, and Allison were eager to spend time with Livy and had lots of plans. As for Nat, well, she didn’t have anything interesting going on for her. She was just glad to be starting her second week of teaching ballet to her students and was looking forward to seeing her students advance.

Tony, Pepper, Steve, and Sharon planned to leave New York on Monday around 8 A.M. in Tony’s private jet. Steve had to drop off Livy at Wanda’s house at 7:15 in order to be at the airport on time. After another night of no sleep, Steve finally decided to get up to get ready at six o’clock. He didn’t need to do much because Livy’s little suitcase was ready since the day before as well as his suitcase. He only had to put a few things in his suitcase that he was going to be using to get ready. He had no need to wake up Livy because he could still carry her. The most probable thing that would happen is that Livy would wake up while he’s taking her to the car from her bed and from the car into Wanda’s house, but knowing Livy, she would go back to sleep almost right away.

The first thing Steve did was take a quick shower. After showering and getting mostly ready, he toasted himself some bread even though he was going to eat breakfast in the jet. He had a fast metabolism anyways, so it wouldn’t affect him at all. After eating his toast with Nutella, he brushed his teeth and put in the stuff he had already used into his suitcase. Once he was done, he put the suitcases into the car. He then went to Livy’s room, carried her, and put a light blanket over her. Steve carried her to the car and buckled her into her car seat. He made sure her head was in a position that wouldn’t make her uncomfortable. Livy opened her eyes slightly but quickly closed her eyes and continued sleeping. It was 6:40 when Steve pulled out of his driveway.

There wasn’t much traffic at this time in the morning in Manhattan-that’s where Wanda’s apartment was located-so Steve got to her place a little early. He texted her to make sure she was awake, and sure enough, she was. Steve got out of the car and opened the trunk to take out Livy’s suitcase. Wanda came out of her apartment just then, so Steve gave her the suitcase to take inside while he grabbed Livy. When he got to Wanda’s door, she led him to the spare bedroom so that he could lay Livy on the bed.

“Aren’t you going to wake her up to say goodbye?” Wanda asked.

Steve looked at Livy’s peaceful face. “I really don’t want to wake her. She looks so peaceful.”

“I know, Steve, but I think she will be highly disappointed if you don’t say goodbye to her.”

“You’re right.” He looked back down at Livy, and softly called her name. She didn’t wake up, so he decided to shake her lightly. “Princess, wake up.” Livy started to stir a little. “Princess, Daddy’s leaving soon.”

Livy slowly opened her eyes and saw Steve kneeling beside the bed. “You’re leaving?” she croaked.

“Yes, I am. Sorry for waking you, but I wanted to say goodbye to you.”

“I don’t want you to leave, Daddy. I want you to stay.”

“I know, I don’t want to leave you either, but you’ll have so much fun with your aunt and uncles. Before you know it, I’ll be back.”

“Ok, Daddy. I love you!”

“I love you too, Princess. Be good for your Aunt Wanda, ok?”

“Yes, Daddy. I’m going to miss you.”

“I’m going to miss you too.” Steve leaned in and gave her a kiss on her forehead. Livy kissed his cheek and gave him a hug. “All right. I have to go now.” Livy didn’t move.

“She’s asleep again,” Wanda whispered.

Steve carefully laid Livy down on the bed. He stared at her a little more. “She looks so much like Peggy.”

“Yes, she does,” Wanda agreed.

Steve soon got up and left the room making sure to close the door. He gave Wanda some instructions such as what time Livy should get up every day and not to give her that much sugar, especially Lucky Charms, for breakfast.

After Steve left, Wanda decided to sleep a little bit longer. She didn’t have to be at work until 9:30, so she still had a little time to get some shut eye before getting ready. Allison would be arriving at the apartment at 8:30 to finish getting Livy ready and take her to ballet class.

Wanda woke up at 8 and started making breakfast for Livy. She usually didn’t make breakfast for herself opting to grab something on the way like a donut, breakfast bagel, or cinnamon roll. She decided to make scrambled eggs and toast. She knew that even though Livy was only four years old she had a bigger appetite than an average four year old (thanks to Steve). She woke Livy up at 8:15 to give her enough time to eat before going to take her bath. While Livy was eating, Wanda went to prepare the bathtub. After Livy finished her breakfast, Wanda bathed her. Once Wanda finished giving Livy her clothes to put on, Allison arrived.

“Thank God you’re here. I really need to get ready. There’s still some leftover breakfast if you want some. Maggie is in the spare bedroom putting on her clothes. At least I think that’s what she’s doing. I need you to comb her hair, and dry it with the blow dryer. Then brush her hair. Steve told me to brush it into a pony tail, but I think she’ll look prettier with a ballerina bun. Can you do one of those?” Wanda stopped talking to look at the time. “I’m sorry for not letting you talk, but I’m running late. I didn’t measure my time wisely. I’m going to shower. Knock if you have any questions.” With that being said, Wanda rushed to the bathroom.

“Well, that was unexpected,” Allison said to herself. She had imagined that Wanda would be mostly ready, but apparently, she wasn’t near to being ready. Allison made her way to the spare bedroom and knocked on the door. Livy cracked open the door and peeked outside.

“Hey, Livy! It’s me, Allie. Can you let me come in so that I can comb your hair?”

Livy smiled and opened the door. “Hi, Miss Allie!” She gave Allison a big hug which Allison returned.

“So, where’s your comb or brush?”

“In my suitcase.”

“Ok. Can you go get it?”

Livy nodded and ran to her suitcase. She searched it until she finally found both her comb and brush. Then she ran back to Allison and gave her the brush and comb.

“Thanks, Livy. Let’s go sit on the bed.”

Livy climbed on the bed and sat down. Allison sat down behind her and started to comb her hair. Once her hair was combed, she left the room to ask Wanda for the blow dryer. Wanda told her where it was at, and Allison went to go get it. When she got back to the room, Livy was playing with her stuffed dog.

“What’s your doggie’s name?”

“Peanut.”

“That is such a pretty name!”

“Thanks!”

“So, do you know what this is?” Allison asked holding up the blow dryer. Since Steve was a guy, she highly doubted that he owned one.

Livy looked at it and frowned. “I one time saw it at the store, and I see it in movies. What does it do?”

Allison smiled gently. “It’s a blow dryer. People also call it a hair dryer. It dries your hair quickly. I’m going to use it so that I can brush your hair.”

“Daddy brushes my hair when it’s wet.”

“I know, but I do things a little differently than he does. I like to brush my hair when it’s dry.”

“Oh, ok. Will it hurt?”

Allison laughed a bit. “Of course not. It may get a little hot. If it does, tell me.”

“Ok.”

Allison blow dried her hair, and once she was done, she started brushing it in a ponytail. She tied the ponytail so that it would be easier to make the bun. Since Livy was used to only having a ponytail, she started to get up.

“Wait, Livy, I’m not done yet.”

“But my hair is in a ponytail.”

“I know, but how would you like a different hairstyle?”

“Which one?”

“It’s a ballerina bun.” Allison looked for a picture on Pinterest and showed it to Livy.

“You want me to do that hairstyle?”

Livy nodded her head. “It’s really pretty. I’ll look more like a ballerina!”

Allison continued with the hairstyle. When she finished, she took Livy to a mirror so that she could see herself.

“I love it!” Livy exclaimed.

“I’m glad you do.”

Livy stayed there admiring her knew hairstyle. Just then, Wanda came up to her. “Maggie, I’m going to work now. Allison is going to drop you off, and Bucky will pick you up.”

“Why aren’t you going to pick me up?”

“I’m going to pick you up tomorrow, all right?”

“Ok.”

Wanda gave Livy a kiss and hurriedly went out the door because she was really late.

Allison and Livy left at 9:30 to give Allison enough time in case she got lost or in case there was more traffic than usual. They arrived with ten minutes to spare. Livy, who was used to getting there a little early, sat down on the couch in the lobby. Daisy was at the front desk, and when she saw the little girl, she went to greet her.

“Hi, Livy! How are you?”

“Hi, Miss Daisy!” Livy jumped up and gave her a hug. “I’m good. I missed you.”

“Aw, I missed you too!”

In the meantime, Allison was awkwardly standing nearby watching the whole thing. When Livy let go of her embrace on Daisy, Daisy noticed Allison. “Hi, I’m Daisy Johnson. I’m the secretary here.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Allison Brown.”

“Oh, you must be here to drop off Livy at her class.”

“Yes, I am.”

“Well, the ballet class should be ending soon. Why don’t you take a seat while you wait?”

“Thank you.”

The telephone on the front desk rang, so Daisy excused herself to go answer it. Just as Daisy said, the ballet class finished soon after. The students that had just finished the class were leaving while those kids who were going to be attending the next one started making their way to the ballet room. Since Livy knew the routine, Allison just followed her. When they got to the room, Livy quickly looked for Natasha. Natasha was also looking for Livy so that she could meet the person Steve had assigned to drop off Livy. Natasha spotted Livy first and made her way toward her.

“Good morning, Livy.”

“Good morning, Miss Nat.”

"You look really pretty today! Who did your hair?"

Livy turned around and pointed at Allison. “She did."

"Oh, what's her name?"

"She’s Miss Allie. She’s my Uncle Pietro’s girlfriend,” she announced happily.

“Nice to meet you, Allie. I’m Natasha Romanoff, Livy’s teacher.”

Allison smiled. “It’s nice to finally meet you. Livy speaks very highly of you.”

“Oh, well, I’m sure whatever she says is a bit of an exaggeration. I’m just an average person who happens to be teaching ballet. There’s really nothing special about me.”

“I beg to differ. Livy never speaks of someone if they haven’t made a big impact on her life.”

Natasha smiled. “I’m glad that I’m able to impact her.”

“Yes, me too. It was so nice meeting you. I need to go to work now.”

“I also need to get to work. I’ll be seeing you tomorrow, right?”

“Yes, of course.”

“All right. Take care.”

“You too.” Allison left. _“Steve was right,”_ she thought. _“She is really pretty. Livy seems to like her more than she likes Sharon. Too bad Steve can’t see that.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm planning on the next chapter to be about Wanda, Bucky, and Pietro meeting Natasha. I decided not to write Steve in Malibu. Instead, I'm going to go with Steve telling Bucky about the vacation. To those who are eagerly awaiting to see Romanogers, I'll just say that we're getting nearer to seeing it.


	12. Chapter 10

Bucky was running a little late. He didn’t count on all the traffic. For some reason, there was more traffic than usual. It was 10:45, and he was still same 10 minutes away. He could get there with 5 minutes to spare if this traffic were to move. He decided to call the front desk just to be on the safe side. He pulled out the card Steve gave him and dialed the number. It started to ring, and Bucky waited for the person to answer.

**“Hello! Russo-American Ballet School. This is Daisy Johnson speaking. How may I help you?”**

“Good morning, Miss Johnson. I was just calling to let you know I may be late to pick up a student of yours.”

**“What is her name?”**

“Olivia Margaret Rogers.”

**“All right. I will let Miss Romanoff know.”**

“Ok thanks.” Bucky was about to hang up when he heard Daisy speak again.

**“Wait!”**

“Yes?”

**“What’s your name, sir? I need to know because Miss Romanoff has instructions to let her go with a certain person on a certain day. I’m pretty sure you’re that person, but I just need to make sure.”**

“I completely understand. I’m James Barnes. Steve might have told you I go by Buck or Bucky.”

**“Ok, thank you, Mr. Barnes I will let her know.”**

“Thanks. I may or may not be late. I just wanted to let you know just in case.”

**“Yeah, yeah, that’s fine.”**

“Well, have a nice day!”

**“Likewise!”**

* * *

 

Bucky got to the ballet school just as the class finished. When Livy saw him, she ran to him. “Uncle Bucky!”

Bucky crouched down to her level and opened his arms so that Livy could hug him. Livy ran into him and gave him a big hug. Bucky picked her up and twirled her.

“Hi, Livs! How was your ballet class?”

“Awesome!”

“That’s good to hear.”

“Do you want to meet my teacher?”

“Yes, I think I would really like to meet her.”

As if on cue, Natasha walked up to them. “You must be Steve’s friend.”

“Yes, I am. James Buchanan Barnes. Most people call me Buck or Bucky.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Natasha Romanoff, Livy’s ballet teacher.”

“Steve was right. She is pretty,” Bucky mumbled under his breath.

“What was that?”

“Oh, nothing. Just remembered that I have something to do tomorrow.”

Natasha eyed him suspiciously.

“Well, Livs and I have to go. It was really nice meeting you, Miss Romanoff.”

“The pleasure was all mine.” Turning to Livy she said, “Don’t forget to practice, ok?”

Livy nodded her head. She then walked up to her and gave her a hug. “See you tomorrow.”

“Yes, I’ll see you tomorrow. Be good!”

* * *

 

The next day, Wanda was going to pick up Livy from her ballet class. Wanda could hardly wait to meet Natasha. She knew Steve pretty well, and the revelation Livy had given them over dinner a couple of weeks ago-the incident of Natasha almost falling but being rescued by Steve and them staring into each other’s eyes for a long time-gave her suspicions that Steve might have felt something for her. All Wanda wanted to do was have a nice talk with her, get to know her, then give Steve her stamp of approval. Well, before that, she would probably have to find a way to get Sharon out of the picture then set Natasha and Steve up. She would have to get help from the others, but it wasn’t time to think about that. She first had to see if she was a perfect match for her brother. Bucky had told Wanda that he liked her all right, but he said he needed to see them interact first.

Since the art studio wasn’t very far from the ballet school, she decided to leave at 10:45. She wanted time to go by quick like it always did but for some reason, time seemed to drag. Finally, at 10:35 she couldn’t wait any longer. She decided to leave a bit early. If the class hadn’t ended yet, she would just watch it.

Wanda got there at 10:50. She had ten minutes to watch the class. Now, all she needed to do was find the room where they were practicing. she decided to ask the lady at the front desk to see if she knew.

“Excuse me. Good morning,” Wanda said.

Daisy looked up from her work. “Oh, good morning. How may I help you?”

“I was wondering which room the ballet class was being held in so that I can watch the remaining minutes of the class.”

“I’m sorry, but only parents or guardians of the students are allowed to watch today. If you come back tomorrow, you will be able to watch it.”

“Oh, I understand, but I’m here to pick up Magg-I mean- Olivia Rogers. I’m her guardian right now since Steve is out of town.”

“I’m so sorry. I should have asked first. You go down that hall, and it will be the third door on your right.”

“Thanks.”  Wanda walked down the hall and quietly opened the door. There were ladies sitting on some chairs already. Wanda found an empty one and sat down. She was amazed at how Natasha was teaching but was more amazed at how well the kids were doing. Livy was doing exceptionally well for being the youngest in her class. Wanda was awed. When the class finished, she made her way to Natasha.

“Hello, I’m Wanda Maximoff Rogers. I just want to say that you have real talent to teach ballet. I was amazed at how well the kids were doing, especially Maggie.”

Natasha nodded but was confused. “I’m sorry, but who’s Maggie?”

“Oh, right, forgot Steve doesn’t call her that. I meant Livy.”

“Right. No wonder your name sounded familiar, but Steve told me it was Wanda Rogers. I was confused by that and by the name Maggie for Livy.”

Wanda laughed. “Don’t worry. You see, Maximoff was my birth last name. I’m Steve’s adopted sister, along with Pietro. Pietro and I are twins. He’s the one that will be picking up Livy tomorrow. As for the name Maggie for Livy, that’s what I’ve always called her. My special name for her.”

“Oh, I see. Mr. Barnes had a special name for her too. I think it was Livs.”

“Yes, it was.”

Natasha thought on that for a little while. Then she remembered she hadn’t introduced herself yet. “Um, I’m sorry for not introducing myself. I’m Natasha Romanoff.”

“Oh there was no need to introduce yourself. Maggie told me you were pretty and had red hair. Also the fact you were teaching the lesson kind of gives away who you are.”

“Well, you are right about the last part.”

“I was wondering if you would like to go out for coffee sometime. I know we just met, but I want to get to know you better. I want to see for myself why Maggie likes you so much.”

“That actually sounds nice. I’ve been wanting to go out and have a little fun, but I’ve been busy. How about on Saturday afternoon?”

“Well, I guess it would be all right if Steve comes back in the morning. Let’s exchange phone numbers, and we can plan it out better.”

“Sure, that’s sounds better because I have another class soon.” Natasha and Wanda exchanged phone numbers and then said their goodbyes.

Wanda smiled to herself. She already liked Natasha, but Bucky was right in some way. She wanted to see Steve and Natasha interact, but first, she would get to know her better.

* * *

 

Wednesday was Pietro’s turn to pick up Livy. He had heard from Bucky and Wanda that Natasha was a really nice person. Wanda had even told him that she invited Natasha for coffee. Pietro scolded her for that because he knew exactly the reason why she did it. He had told her, “You know that Steve doesn’t like anyone meddling in his life. If he wants something, he’ll do it himself. You don’t have to do it for him.”

Wanda on the other hand had a different opinion. She told him, “He is so blinded by Sharon that he will never see that she isn’t the one for him until it’s too late. Besides, none of us like Sharon, not even Tony, Pepper, Clint, Laura, Bruce, and Thor like her. I know for a fact Livy does not like her either. We need to help Steve see that Natasha is so much better.”

Well, here he was standing in front of the ballet school building. Wanda had made him promise that if he liked Natasha that he would help her with her plan. The class was about to end, so Pietro decided to go in to wait. Daisy instructed him where to go, and he headed in that direction. When he got to the room, the class had just finished. He stood there awkwardly not knowing what he was supposed to do.

Natasha saw him and walked over. Since she hadn’t seen him before, she had a feeling it was the person who was coming to pick up Livy, but she wanted to make sure. “Good morning. Are you here to pick up Livy?”

“Yes, I am. I’m Pietro Maximoff.”

“Oh, yes, your sister Wanda told me you would be coming today. I’m Natasha Romanoff, Livy’s teacher.”

“Nice to meet you Miss Romanoff. I’ve heard nice comments from Wanda, Bucky, and Allison. Mostly from Allison since she’s been here every day.”

“Well, I’m flattered that they’ve had nice things to say. Allison is such a dear. I wish I could talk to her more, but we don’t have time.”

“Yes, Allison is pretty amazing. She’s also told me the same thing about wanting to talk to you more.”

“Wait a minute. You’re Allison’s boyfriend right?”

Pietro blushed. “Yes, I am.”

“Sorry if I made you a bit uncomfortable, but Steve mentioned it to me. I guess he wanted me to know how everyone was related to him.”

“It’s all right. I understand why Steve did it.”

“I’m going to go get Livy. She’s talking with her friends.”

“I’ll go with you.” They both walked towards Livy in silence.

“Livy,” Natasha said, “your uncle is here to pick you up.”

She turned around quickly. “Uncle Pietro!” She gave him a hug which he returned.

“Ready to go?” Pietro asked.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“I’m planning a sleepover with my friends.”

“You are? What are your friends’ names?”

“She’s Mary. She’s Jenny. She’s Kylie,” Livy said pointing at each of her friends.

“Well, look. If you want to have a sleepover, you need to ask your dad before you start planning it. How about you tell them that you’ll keep planning it next week?”

“Ok, I’m going to say bye to them.” Livy went to say goodbye to her friends and tell them what Pietro said about the sleepover planning.

“She’s such a good girl,” Natasha commented.

“Yes, she is. I haven’t seen her this happy in a while.”

“Why is that?”

Pietro then realized what he said. “Um, it’s not my story to tell. Steve is a very private person for the most part. I don’t think he would like it if I told you.”

“I understand. There are some things that people need to keep to themselves or share with a few close friends. I’m just Livy’s teacher, and I hardly know the man. I’m glad you respect his privacy.”

Pietro just nodded. Livy walked up to Natasha and gave her a hug. “See you tomorrow, Miss Nat.”

“Yes, sweetie, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Natasha watched as Livy and Pietro left. She wondered what had happened that Pietro hadn’t seen Livy so happy in a while. Of course, she couldn’t invade their family privacy. She wasn’t planning it on doing it either. She remembered the first time she met Steve. He had a sad look in his eyes, but he was trying to hide it that someone that wasn’t a keen observer wouldn’t notice it. Also, he sometimes looks as if hasn’t slept in a long time. Now, Natasha was really curious, but she wasn’t going to ask because it wasn’t her business.

On Thursday, Bucky once again came to pick up Livy, but they left pretty quickly. On Friday, Wanda came in to pick her up. Natasha did chat with her some. They only talked enough to confirm their outing the next day at one o’clock in the afternoon. Wanda excused herself soon after explaining she had to get home and get Livy’s bag ready since Steve was arriving in the afternoon. She watched as Wanda and Livy left. Livy was bouncing up and down. Natasha assumed it was from excitement to see her dad. That got her to wondering once again about Livy’s mother. No one ever mentioned her, and she never came to pick Livy up. There was a story in that family that she was dying to find out about, but once again, she knew it wouldn’t be right to pry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I mentioned Thor and Bruce in this chapter but haven't given them an appearance, I know you have questions. Before you start asking those questions, I'll let you know that it will be explained in the beginning of the next chapter. Yes, they will be in the story, but I'm still thinking about how to put them in. So if you have any ideas of how I can introduce them in the story, feel free to tell me in the comments.
> 
> I'm pretty proud of myself that this is the third week in a row I post a chapter. I hope to post weekly, but I'm not making any promises because when I promise something like that I never fulfill it. I'll do everything to post next week.
> 
> I also want to thank all of you that have been reading this story. I recently passed 3,000 hits, and I'm so happy about it. I also want to thank all those who have commented on my story. Reading your comments puts a smile on my face and gives me encouragement to keep writing. I especially want to thank TheJollyRoger and Marshmalloween for being one of those faithful followers and commenters (I don't think that is even a word, but I didn't know how else to say it). You two have given me ideas from your comments, and I think that because of it my story is better.


	13. Chapter 11

Tony, Pepper, Steve, and Sharon were arriving that afternoon. The original plan for Steve and Sharon was eat dinner at Wanda’s house. Tony got the amazing idea-as he called it-to invite everyone (all their friends) to Stark Tower and have dinner there. Steve called Wanda to let her know that the other plan was canceled, and instead of making dinner, to go to Stark Tower at six o’clock. Wanda then let Bucky, Pietro, and Allison know. Steve also let Sam and Clint know to go to Stark Tower for dinner. Tony told Steve to invite Thor, Steve’s cousin, as well. Steve told him that he wasn’t in New York yet. He would arrive in a couple of weeks. Tony told him that he thought he was already here, but he remembered then when Steve told him he would arrive at the beginning of July to be on time for Steve’s birthday. Tony decided to call Bruce, but Bruce had gone to a biochemistry course that week and wouldn’t get back until Wednesday of the next week. So everyone except Bruce and Thor attended the dinner.

When Wanda and Livy arrived, Steve was talking with Clint and Sam. He had his back to the entrance, so he didn’t see them come in. Livy quickly spotted her dad and ran to him. “Daddy!”

Steve turned around and saw her running towards him. He crouched down, and Livy ran into his arms. “Princess, I missed you so much!” He hugged her tightly and gave her lots of kisses.

“I missed you too.”

“How did you do in your ballet class?”

“Good! I learned new things.”

“That’s good. Show them to me later. Were you good for Aunt Wanda, Uncle Bucky, Uncle Pietro, and Miss Allie?”

“Yes, Daddy! I was a good girl.”

By then, Wanda was already with them. “Let’s see what Aunt Wanda says.”

“Oh, Steve, you know she’s always an angel. She was really good. She practiced her ballet everyday at home, and she went to bed when I told her to. She would wake up with no problem. There is one thing that happened. I think it was Wednesday. She was waiting for me to tuck her in to bed. I was finishing washing dishes, and when I finished, I went to her room. She was sitting on her bed crying. I asked her why she was crying. Her exact words were, ‘I miss Daddy so much. I miss hugging him and kissing him. I want him to come home.’ My heart melted when I heard her. I told her you would be coming home soon, and I gave her a picture frame that I have. The picture is the one we taken with Pietro, you and me before you left for the army. It comforted her a bit, and she finally fell asleep.”

“Is that so Livy?”

She nodded. “You’re really hansome in that picture.”

Steve smiled. “Well, now I’m home, and you’re stuck with me.”

“Can you put me down? I want to go play with Cooper.”

Steve put her down and realized she had grown. “Wow, Princess! You’ve grown! I guess the ballet classes have paid off in one area.”

Livy laughed and went to go find Cooper. Wanda was still with Steve. She went to give him a hug and welcome him back home. She then whispered in his ear, “You and I have to talk soon.”

“What about?” Steve asked his brow creasing.

“You know,” she smirked then walked off to greet the rest.

Steve knew that Wanda was up to something, and he had a feeling that he wasn’t going to like it.

The evening went by smoothly. Everyone was catching up with everyone else since it had been a while since they had all been together-well they were not all together yet. They did miss the presence of Bruce and especially Thor since they hadn’t seen him since the year before.

Steve left that night with an invitation to eat lunch with Bucky the next day, so they could talk. Steve asked what he wanted to talk about that it had to be just them two present. All Bucky answered was, “I just want us to talk about some things.” That left Steve to thinking what had happened while he was gone. Because first his sister said they needed to talk, and then his best friend. He was worried something happened with Livy during the week.

He also got an invitation from Clint and his family to go spend a day at his house. They would be having a cook-out, just Steve, Livy, and the Barton family. They still hadn’t confirmed the date, but they agreed it would be before the summer was over.

The next day came pretty quickly. Steve had let Livy sleep with him that night because she was afraid she was dreaming that he was back. He was worried he would have a night mare and scare Livy, but he had a dreamless night. Since it was Saturday, he let Livy sleep longer than usual. He thought about going to make breakfast, but he didn’t want Livy to get worried when she woke up. He decided they would just eat cereal, and he stayed in bed with Livy. At ten o’clock, he started waking Livy up.

“Princess, it’s time to wake up. You’ll be spending the afternoon with Uncle Tony and Aunt Pepper.”

Her eyes quickly opened when she heard the names of Tony and Pepper. “I am?” she asked excitedly even though her voice was still a bit groggy.

“Yes. I don’t know how long you’ll be with them. I’m going to have lunch with Uncle Bucky.”

“Ok.”

Steve and Livy ate breakfast. After breakfast, Steve gave Livy her bath and got her ready for the day. Once she was happily playing with her Barbie dolls, Steve went to take a shower. Once he was ready, Steve took her to Stark Tower. He then drove to the Westfield World Trade Center because he said it would be more convenient for him. Wanda had asked him to take her to the mall around lunch time because she had to buy something, so he would already be there.

Steve arrived and texted Bucky.

_Steve: Hey, Buck. Where are you?_

**Bucky: I’m still not at the mall if that’s what you mean.**

_Steve: Yeah yeah. I saw your car in the parking lot._

**Bucky: Oh man! I didn’t think you would park in the same one.**

_Steve: Hahaha…now seriously, where are you?_

**Buck: I’m at Shake Shack.**

_Steve: All righty, be there in a bit._

Steve walked out of the public parking lot and walked to the mall. Since he’s never really come to this mall, he read a map of the mall when he got in. Once he located where Shake Shack was at on the map and saw how to get there, he casually walked over there. He arrived at the restaurant and saw Bucky at a table. He walked over, and when Bucky saw him he stood up. They gave themselves a manly hug.

“Hey Punk. You made it. Thought you were gonna get lost in the mall.”

“Haha, very funny.”

“Well, you barely go out. I mean you do but not to malls.”

“Normally, the mall isn’t a place where a man goes unless he’s with his girlfriend or wife or family. Sharon doesn’t have time to go to the mall, and when she does, she goes by herself.”

“That’s too bad man.”

“Well, I know we’re not here to talk about how I don’t come to the mall. What do you want to talk about?”

“Well, I want to hear about your trip to Malibu,” Bucky said nonchalantly.

“Why didn’t you just ask me yesterday? I would have told you.”

“Well, I want you to not hold back anything because you’re afraid Livy will hear. So come on, spill.”

Steve rolled his eyes. “You’ve been hanging around Wanda too much.”

“Well, we are friends who have nothing to do after work. Having no responsibilities gets you bored sometimes.”

“Well, I think there’s something going on between the two of you,” Steve smirked.

“How is this all of a sudden about me? I’m here to talk about you.”

“Fine, but I’d like to order first. And, we will talk about you and Wanda later.”

Bucky looked annoyed but didn’t comment. Instead, he turned his attention to the menu even though he already knew what he wanted to order. Soon, the waitress came to the table. “Hello, my name is Clara, and I’ll be your waitress today. Can I get you tow handsome fellas something to drink?”

“I’ll have a root beer,” Bucky ordered.

Clara wrote it in the notebook and turned to Steve. “And for you sir?”

“I’ll have the Fifty/Fifty.”

“All right, I’ll bring your drinks out in a minute.”

“Miss, we are also ready to order our food.”

“Oh, ok. So what will you be having?”

“I want a double ShackBurger with cheese fries,” Bucky replied.

“And I’ll have a double hamburger with regular fries.”

“What would you like in your burger?”

Steve looked at the choices listed in the menu. “Could I have lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cheese, and the bacon?”

“Of course you can.” She finished writing down the order. “I’ll be back with your drinks in a few minutes.”

Once she left, Bucky continued the conversation that had been abandoned. “So, how was Malibu?”

“Well, Malibu is really nice. I thought you’ve already been there,” Steve answered, trying to avoid the real question.

“You know that’s not what I asked. How was the trip? How did it go? What did you do?”

“The trip there and back was fine. It went well. As for what we did, we did a lot of things, but we mostly rested. We didn’t go sightseeing. We just stayed at Stark’s house, mansion, whatever you want to call it.”

Bucky sighed loudly. “Do I really need to ask you specific questions, or are you going to cooperate and tell me everything?”

“You really want to know?”

“You really don’t want to share?” Bucky retorted.

“It’s not that I don’t want to share because I do, but I just don’t know how to begin.”

“Well, just tell me everything from the beginning.”

Steve nodded. Lucky for him, the waitress brought them their drinks at that moment. It gave Steve a little time to organize his thoughts. After she left, he could feel Bucky’s intense gaze while he was waiting for him to begin. “As you know, we left Monday morning. The jet ride was quiet. I was surprised that Tony and Pepper fell asleep. Sharon was wrapping up work that she couldn’t finish on Saturday. I was thinking about Livy some, but I then started thinking about the last time I was in the air which brought back old memories of Peggy. I eventually fell asleep, and Sharon woke me up when we had arrived. We got to the house, and Tony showed Sharon and me to the room we would be sharing. He then said we would be having lunch in 30 minutes. So Sharon and I…”

“Ok ok, I don’t want to hear a detailed explanation of every little thing you did. What I want to hear is how did it go between you and Sharon. Did you get caught up? She was on a business trip for some time, wasn’t she?”

“Yes, she was on a business trip. Well, we did get caught up a little bit. We talked about our relationship and what the future might hold for us. She suggested we do something, and I was surprised at the suggestion.”

“What did she suggest?”

“She asked me if she could move in with me.”

“You’re joking, right?”

“No, I’m not.”

“So what did you tell her?”

“I told her that it would be better for the time being that she didn’t. I mean, I know her. I also know Livy. Livy is the type to walk in my room without knocking. She sometimes crawls into bed with me during the night after she has a nightmare.  I don’t want her to come into the room while Sharon and I are doing something inappropriate for her to see. I also don’t want to prohibit her from ever stepping foot in my room again. Sharon, well, she would have a fit if something like that were to happen.”

“You told her all that?”

“No, I just said that I didn’t feel it was the right time.”

The waitress came again with their food and quickly left.

“How did she take it?” Bucky asked.

“Well, she got mad at me. All she did was storm out of the room. I felt awful after that, so I went to ask Tony for help. I told him what had happened and asked what he does when Pepper is mad at him. He said that he usually buys her something like jewelry or chocolates and gives it to her as an apology present. Then he takes her out to an expensive restaurant to have dinner. That gave me the idea to set up a romantic dinner on the beach. Of course, I had to apologize to her first before asking her to go out to the beach with me. I did apologize and explained that I would say yes, but I’m not the only one in the house. I told her I would have to ask Livy about it first. Thankfully, she understood. We then went to walk along the shore, and I was leading her to the table. She loved the surprise, and we talked about random things. That night I decided I want to propose to her.”

Bucky had taken a drink out of his root beer a little bit before the statement. When he heard Steve say, “That night I decided I want to propose to her,” he almost spit out his root beer. “WHAT????”

Steve sighed, “I got the same reaction from Tony when I told him.”

“Steve, that’s a really big step. I know, you’ve been married before, but it was different. It was just you. Now, you have Livs. You need to ask her first. You need to know if she will be happy. You can’t just decide to marry Sharon, propose, and then tell Livs about it. It happens in movies, and it never works.”

“Stark said something similar.”

“Then if Livs says yes, I said IF, then you have to plan it all out.”

“I know, Stark told me that. I’m not planning to propose right now. I’m planning on doing it around Christmas or New Year’s.”

“A lot can happen between now and then.”

“I know, but Livy needs a mother. I’m thinking about her. I would do it sooner, but I want it to be special. I also want to tell Livy and let the idea sink in some before she gives me an answer.”

Bucky sighed. He couldn’t believe how naïve Steve was. He couldn’t see that his own daughter didn’t like Sharon. Now, he knew that he had to side with Wanda and do something. Steve couldn’t marry Sharon. Their relationship wasn’t that stable. She worked all day and was out a lot. If that was Steve’s idea of a mother, he had gotten it all wrong. He needed help to see that that wasn’t the best for Livy.

“Buck, what’s wrong?” Steve asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.

“Nothing.”

Steve believed him and started talking about something else. There was no more talk about Sharon and Steve’s crazy idea to propose for the rest of the lunch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this is the longest chapter I've written for this story. It would have been longer, but I decided to the part I wrote in the next chapter.
> 
> I know, I know, I said this story is Romanogers, and it is, I promise. But this story needs a little bit of drama. After all, life is not all roses and rainbows. I promise you will get a Romanogers moment really soon, but before that happens, I need to write a couple more chapters. 
> 
> Next chapter will be Wanda and Natasha's outing. I've already started writing it, so I'll try to finish it this week. If I do, I'll post it. If not, you'll have to wait until next week.


	14. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonus chapter!

Wanda suggested to Natasha last minute to meet her at the mall at noon for lunch instead of having just coffee. Natasha agreed because she didn’t have anything else to do. Wanda told her to meet her at Westfield World Trade Center at Breads Bakery.

Even though Wanda owned a car, she decided to ask Bucky to take her to the mall. Her excuse was that she needed to buy something at the mall. She hadn’t told Bucky about her coffee outing with Natasha because she was certain he would tell Steve about it. Bucky asked her why she couldn’t just go in her own car, so she said she wanted to spend a little time with him afterwards. She said, “If you don’t want to take me, I could go on the subway and then call you to pick me up so that we can do something.”

Bucky immediately replied, “No, no. I’ll take you.”

When they had parked in the parking lot, Bucky got out and opened the car door for Wanda. She thanked him and started walking towards the parking lot exit to get to the mall. Wanda had thought that Bucky was going to leave, so she was a little bit startled when he was walking beside her.

“You really don’t have to walk me all the way to the mall.”

“That’s all right. Besides, I have to meet someone there for lunch. Are you going to take a while?”

“You know, you should have asked that question before you made plans for lunch.”

“I know. I guess I didn’t think about it.”

“Well, it depends. Who are you meeting for lunch?”

“I’m meeting one of the guys.”

“Oh, ok. Yes, I’m going to take a while.”

Bucky just nodded. He knew that Wanda wasn’t going to buy something at the mall. He just didn’t know why she wanted to come. He would have asked but decided against it.

Now, here she was at Breads Bakery waiting for Natasha. She had only ordered a cup of coffee because she was going to wait for Natasha to order something to eat. Not long after she got her coffee, she saw Natasha walk in. She saw Nat scanning the room at the tables, so she waved to her. Natasha soon saw her and walked up to the table. Wanda got up to greet her. They hugged each other and sat down.

“Hi, Natasha. How are you?”

“Hi Wanda. I’m fine. How about you?”

“I’m great!”

“Sorry I’m a little late, but my ride was a little late to pick me up.”

“Don’t worry about it. I haven’t been here very long.”

“Have you ordered yet?”

“Just my coffee.”

Natasha looked at the menu and quickly decided what she wanted. “I’m ready to order. How about you?”

“You’re ready to order already?! You haven’t even been here five minutes yet.”

Natasha laughed at Wanda’s surprise. “Well being a ballerina, I have a diet to follow. So I practically just look for something healthy on the menu.”

“Oh yeah. I forgot. Well, I’m also ready to order. I’ll call the waitress.” Wanda called the waitress, and she signed that she would be there in a minute.

After Wanda and Natasha ordered, Wanda started the conversation.

"So, how did you decide to teach ballet, and where did you learn?"

Natasha smiled. "Well, I decided to teach ballet so that my talent wouldn't go to waste. Ballet is my passion, and I want others that have the dream of becoming a ballerina to fulfill it. I want them to have the same passion I do. Your niece is one of the kids I can see a lot of potential in. She reminds me of myself when I started out. To answer your second question, I learned ballet in Russia."

"You lived in Russia?"

"Actually, I was born in Russia, and I grew up there."

"Wow that is so cool!"

"Yeah, well, not really. I like it better here in New York."

Wanda frowned, "Why is that?"

"I had a hard life in Russia. My parents died when I was young."

"I'm so sorry."

Natasha gave her a sad smile. At that moment the waitress brought them their food. Natasha ordered an iced tea and a smoked salmon sandwich, and Wanda ordered an espresso and a Tunisian sandwich.

"So you like New York."

"Yes, I do. The only thing I don't like is all the traffic and all the people walking on the sidewalks. Other than that, it's really pretty, especially Central Park."

“Yes, Central Park is where I like to go to relax. Livy loves going there to run around and play.”

“So, what do you do?”

“Well, I’m a secretary at Sousa’s Art Studio and Gallery.”

“Oh that’s nice to know!”

“What? The part that there’s an art gallery or the part that I’m a secretary?”

“Both. I’ve been wondering what I’ll do the day Daisy can’t come into work. I guess, if you want to that is, you could fill in for her when I need you to. I know you have a job already, but it would only be in cases where Daisy calls in sick, and I don’t have time to look for a replacement.”

“Well, I’d have to talk to my boss about that first. I’ll get back to you on that.”

“No problem.”

There was a little bit of silence after that each one working on eating their food. “So,” Wanda began, breaking the silence, “You said you were born and raised in Russia, right?”

“Yes, I did,” Natasha replied.

“How old were you when you came to the U.S.?”

“I was 18 years old. I started off in California and slowly made my way here to New York.”

“That’s interesting. So you basically toured the States.”

“Something like that. I haven’t visited them all yet, but most of them.”

“It must have been hard to leave your family.”

Natasha smiled sadly, “Well, I don’t have a family in Russia. They died when I was young.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know,” Wanda sympathized.

“it’s ok.” Tears were starting to form in Natasha’s eyes, but she quickly wiped them away. “So, what about you? How did you become part of the Rogers family?”

“Well, like you, my parents died. Pietro and I are twins. We were 15 years old. We were taken into an orphanage where they were going to find foster families for us, but Pietro and I knew that if that were to happen, we would be separated. I mean, who would want to take care of two teenagers? But there was nothing we could do. Thankfully, right before they put us into separate foster homes, Mrs. Rogers, Steve’s mom, came to the orphanage to drop off some of Steve’s childhood toys. She saw us huddled in a corner and came to talk to us. Next thing we know, we were being adopted by her and taken to her home. Steve was a senior in high school and had a girlfriend, so we didn’t bond much for the first few months. As time went by, all three of us started to bond, and now we don’t know what we’d do without the other one being present.”

“Wow! That’s such a sweet story!” Natasha exclaimed. “I wish mine was that nice.”

“I would love to hear your story if it doesn’t make you uncomfortable.”

“I would tell you, but it’s a little bit painful. I had a hard time once my parents died, and it’s something I don’t like to remember.”

“That’s ok. If you ever want to tell me, I’m all ears.” Wanda smiled softly at her.

“Thank you, I’ll keep that in mind.” Natasha smiled back.

Once Wanda and Natasha were done and on their way to the mall exit, Wanda texted Bucky.

Wanda: Hey, Babe! I’m done. I’ll be waiting at the exit.

Bucky’s phone chimed with the incoming message. He looked at the screen to see if it was important. Seeing Wanda’s message made him smile.

Bucky: All right. See you in a bit.

Steve was looking at Bucky. “What’s got you smiling sweetly all of a sudden?”

“Oh nothing. Um, Wanda just texted me. She says she’s done and will be waiting for me at the entrance,” Bucky commented.

“I’ll go with you since I’m headed that way too.”

Once Bucky paid, they left the restaurant.

“If you want, I can take Wanda home.”

“No, it’s ok. Wanda told me she wants to hang out.”

“Oh, she did?” Steve asked with a tone of curiosity mixed with a fatherly tone.

Bucky nodded.

“You know, it seems like you and Wanda are spending more time together. I think I’d better start playing overprotective brother,” Steve teased.

Bucky playfully punched Steve in the arm. Steve made a face of mock hurt. “We’re just friends hanging out. We’ve been friends for a long time.”

“I know, but if it goes further than that, don’t’ hurt her,” Steve said seriously.

“You know I would never dream of hurting her,” Bucky answered just as serious.

They were already nearing the exit, so they started to look for Wanda. Once they found her, they saw her, standing with her back towards them, talking to a lady.

“I wonder who she’s talking to,” Buck commented.

Steve looked again and immediately recognized the red hair. _“What is Wanda up to?”_ Steve thought.

“You ok, punk?”

“Yeah,” Steve answered slowly, “It’s just that that’s Natasha-I mean-Miss Romanoff.”

At that moment, Wanda turned around to see if Bucky was coming. She spotted him, but she immediately turned around with wide eyes.

“Wanda, are you ok?” Natasha inquired seeing the change in Wanda’s facial expression.

“Oh yeah, I’m great, but in a minute I’ll be so dead.”

“Why?”

“Well…”

“Hello, ladies,” Bucky greeted, interrupting Wanda’s explanation.

Wanda turned around with a nervous smile. “Hey, Bucky, Steve.”

“Hi Wanda,” Steve greeted. “Miss Romanoff, it’s nice to see you.”

“Good afternoon, Mr. Barnes, Mr. Rogers,” was all Natasha replied.

“Well, it was nice seeing you, Steve, and it was great chatting with you, Natasha. Please excuse us, Bucky and I have plans,” Wanda quickly said. “Come on, Buck, let’s go.” Wanda grabbed his arm and started to pull him away.

“Wait. Didn’t you come to the mall to buy something?” Bucky asked her.

“I-I…” Wanda couldn’t think of anything to say.

“She did, but while she was in the store, we ran into each other, and we decided to have lunch together,” Natasha lied to save Wanda from whatever she would have gone through.

“Yeah, I was already on my way out because I couldn’t find what I needed, and she was at the cash register,” Wanda furthered the explanation, so Bucky nor Steve would ask why she didn’t have a bag.

Both Steve and Bucky suspected she wasn’t telling the truth because of how nervous Wanda looked, but they didn’t want to make a scene in front of Natasha. “All right, Wanda. Let’s go. Remember, we have plans,” Bucky said.

They exchanged their goodbyes, and Bucky and Wanda left leaving Steve and Natasha behind. Steve was about to leave when he saw that Natasha stayed where she was. “Do you need a ride, Miss Romanoff?”

Natasha, who had been texting on her phone, looked up. “Oh, that’s all right. I have a ride already. He’s supposed to pick me up soon. Thanks for the offer.”

“Ok, I understand. I just didn’t want to leave you here alone not knowing if you had a ride or not. If you want, I can stay and wait for your ride with you, you know, keep you company.”

“That’s sweet of you but don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

“Ok,” Steve said looking a little doubtful. “I guess I’ll be going now. It was nice seeing you again.”

“Yeah, it was. Say hello to Livy for me.”

“I will. Take care. See you on Monday.”

“Yeah, see you Monday.”

Steve exited the mall and walked towards the parking lot. For some reason, he felt attracted to her. Up until now, he hadn’t really paid attention to that feeling of attraction except the first time he saw her and made the “mistake” of drawing her. Every time he saw her, he would ignore those feelings, but they seemed to get stronger every day. But as always, he pushed those thoughts away. He shouldn’t be feeling this attraction to her because he had Sharon, right?

Natasha felt the same attraction, but knowing he must be married, she didn’t heed to them. The questions that kept nagging her were “Where is his wife? Why hadn’t she ever seen her?” She never voiced them to him because he didn’t want to invade his privacy. After all, he was just the parent of one of her students, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I keep saying this, but we are nearing the part where Romanogers starts to happen. I already started writing that chapter and am almost done with it, but I still need to post some other chapters. I won't tell you how many though ;)


	15. Chapter 13

While Bucky was driving to Wanda’s house, he decided to confront Wanda.

“You invited Natasha to eat lunch with you, right?” Bucky questioned.

“If I tell you, will you tell Steve?” Wanda worriedly asked.

“No, I won’t. I promise. If you tell me, I’ll tell you something Steve told me. Deal?”

“Deal.” Wanda sighed. “Yes, I invited her, but in my defense, I wanted to get to know her better to see if she is a good match for Steve.”

“I know you did. What did you find out about her?”

“Not much. I only found out that she was born in Russia and she moved to the States when she was 18. The rest of the time we talked about me and work.”

“Oh, that’s too bad.”

“I do know she is not the most open person in the world. She said she had a hard past. She told me her parents died when she was young, so she has no family in Russia. She likes it better here in New York.”

“At least she likes it here. We wouldn’t want her going back to her mother country any time soon.”

Wanda looked at Bucky with a puzzled look. “What do you mean by that?”

“Well, I think I’m going to have to side with you and help you out a bit.”

“With what?” Wanda was still confused.

“You’re whole idea of setting Steve up with someone so that he can see that Sharon’s not the one for him.”

“Ohh, finally you see the light. What made you decide to help me?”

“Well, don’t freak out, but Steve may be planning on proposing to Sharon.”

“WHAT??? He can’t do that, not on my watch!”

“Look, we have approximately six months to make Steve realize that by doing so, he will be committing a huge mistake.”

“Well, I think it’s enough time if we can get some more help and if Steve cooperates.”

“Exactly my thoughts. I know a valuable asset to our ‘team.’”

“Oh, really? Who?”

“Well, actually, I know two. The first one is Livy. I know she’s automatically on our side. The second one is Thor. He’ll be coming to New York in about a week, and this time, he’s staying for good. Last time Thor introduced a gal to Steve, he fell head over heels with her, and it worked out.”

“Hmm, you’re right. Maybe Clint and Laura will be able to help. I’ll ask them and Stark, Pepper, Pietro, Allison, and Sam. Once I know their answers, I’ll start forming a plan, and I’ll share it once Thor is here. Do you think Bruce will be on our side?”

“There’s no reason to believe he wouldn’t. You know he doesn’t like Sharon either even though he doesn’t show it like the rest of us.”

“You’re right. How about you ask them, and I’ll hatch the plan?”

“Sounds good to me.”

* * *

 

The next week was a busy week for Steve as he had to catch up on work. There were two days that he couldn’t pick up Livy from her ballet class no matter how hard he tried. The first day was Monday. Steve tried his best to advance some in his work that was due that week in the hour that Livy was in her ballet class so that he could go pick her up. Whilst his endeavors, he had a meeting scheduled with a client to over the details of a painting the client wanted. That meeting just had to be scheduled at 11 A.M. He sighed when he saw the time. “So much for trying to catch up on work,” he mumbled. Lucky for him, he looked over his schedule around 10:30, so he had plenty of time to ask someone to go pick her up. He knew he couldn’t ask Wanda, Pietro, or Allison because they were working. Bucky and Sam went to Staten Island. Sharon was out of the question because she probably had just as much or even more work than he did. Clint-well, he didn’t know if Clint was working or not. If he wasn’t, then he was most probable still in bed which means Laura was just starting out her day. Bruce wouldn’t be back until Wednesday. The only other options were the genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist a.k.a. Tony Stark and CEO of Stark Industries, who also happened to be Tony’s girl, Pepper Potts. He opted to call Stark because he was more likely to be free.

“Good morning! This is THE Tony Stark, owner of-you know-Stark Industries. How may I be of service to you?”

“Really, Tony? You do know that whoever calls you knows who they’re calling, and also, only your friends have your cellphone number?”

“Oh hey, Capsicle! I can’t believe you’re calling me this early in the morning!” Tony sarcastically said, ignoring the comment from Steve.

“Capsicle?”

“Yeah, it kind of rhymes with popsicle, and since it has been really hot lately, I’ve been thinking of eating a popsicle, so it kind of just came out. I mean I just had to combine Cap with –sicle, and you get Capsicle.”

Steve rolled his eyes even though Tony couldn’t see him.  “I called to ask you a favor.”

“What do you need? Money? I’ll help you with whatever you ask. You can count on me.”

“No, I don’t need money. I need you to go pick up Livy from her ballet class. It ends at 11, and lucky for me, I have a meeting at the exact time.”

“On it. I’ll take Pep with me.”

“Oh, it’s fine if you’re the only one that goes. I don’t want her to put her work on hold just to pick up my daughter.”

“Don’t worry about her. She needs to take a break. Besides, we both want to meet your new source of inspiration.”

“What do you mean by my new source of…” Steve then remembered the drawing. “You told Pepper about that?”

“Nope. She was there when I was snooping in your notebook. She was telling me I shouldn’t be looking through it when I flipped to that drawing, and I showed it to her. Once I found out who it was, I told her.”

Steve sighed. “I just plead that you don’t tell Miss Romanoff ‘cause if you do, I won’t be able to face her ever again.”

“Yeah, yeah, don’t worry.”

“I mean it, Stark.”

“I promise I won’t tell her. Your secret is safe with me. Anyway, moving on. Do you want me to take Livy to your office or what?”

“If you think she won’t be a bother at the Tower, then she can stay with you. If not, I can call Clint or Laura to see if she can go over there.”

“She can stay with me. I haven’t seen her since Friday.”

“Wow, that’s a long time. I’m sure you have a lot to catch up on,” Steve sarcastically said.

“Actually, we do because we really didn’t talk one on one.”

“Right. I’ll pick her up after I’m done with work at the office. Thanks for helping me out.”

“No problem. I mean, what can I say? I enjoy Livy’s company.”

“I thought you were going to say something like ‘what are friends for?’.”

“Yeah, that too.”

“I’ll text you the address of the school.”

“Yeah, sure.”

“I’ll see you later.”

“Yep, see you.”

After Steve hung up, he texted the address to Tony and called the front desk of the ballet school to let them know he authorized Tony and Pepper to pick up Livy.

* * *

 

Tony and Pepper made it a couple of minutes before the class was finished. They were on their way inside when Pepper received a call.

“I have to take this call. You go on ahead. I’ll be right in,” Pepper told Tony.

Tony walked in and noticed there was someone at the desk. “Excuse me, I’m Tony Stark. I’m here to pick up Livy Rogers."

“Go down that hall third room to your right,” Daisy instructed, not tearing her gaze from the computer.

Tony stood there dumbfounded. Usually, when he announced himself, he’d have fangirls all around him, but this lady seemed to shrug off the fact that he was Tony Stark. He decided to just go to pick up Livy. He turned and started walking down the hall.

“Wait!” Daisy called out. Tony turned to face her. “Did you say you are Tony Stark?”

“Indeed I did.”

“Tony Stark as in owner of Stark Industries? The one that throws parties and galas?”

“Yes.”

Daisy got up and grabbed something from her desk and hurried towards Tony. “Oh my goodness! I can’t believe Tony Stark is in the ballet school! I’m such a huge fan. I’m Daisy Johnson.”

“Nice to meet you, Miss Johnson.”

“Can I have your autograph?” She asked handing him a notebook and pen.

“It would be my pleasure.” He took the notebook and pen, and autographed the notebook. “Here you go.”

“Thank you so much! So what brings you here?”

“I’m here to pick up Livy Rogers.”

“Mr. Rogers knows you?” she asked incredulously.

“Yeah, we’ve been friends since we were children. We went to the same school.”

“Wow! I never would have thought. Mr. Rogers seems to be a quiet, private person.”

“He is for the most part, but he’s had a rough life.”

Daisy nodded in understanding. “Well, you’d better get in there before Miss Romanoff starts to worry.”

Tony walked into the room and saw a whole bunch of children going to get their stuff. “It must have just finished,” he thought. He started to lood for Livy when a lady walked up to him.

“May I help you?” the lady asked.

“Yes, I’m looking for Livy Rogers.”

“Why?”

“I’m here to pick her up.”

“What’s your name?”

Tony looked at her in disbelief. “You don’t know who I am?”

“I can’t say that I do. Have we met before?”

“No, but everyone knows me.”

“Well, not everyone because I don’t. Who are you?”

“I’m Tony Stark, owner of -”

“Uncle Tony! You came to pick me up today? Where’s Daddy? Did Aunt Pepper come too?” Livy cut him off, chattering a mile a minute.

“Yes, I came to pick you up today. Daddy had a meeting, and Aunt Pepper did come. She got a call and will come right in when she’s done. So, who is your teacher?”

“I’m her teacher,” the lady who he had been talking to answered.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Miss-”

“Romanoff. Natasha Romanoff.”

“Miss Natasha Romanoff, has anyone ever told you that you are hot because if not, you are. You know, whenever you need a date, I’ll be glad to be yours.”

“Tony!” Pepper, who had come in as Tony was flirting, exclaimed. She lightly smacked his head.

“Mr. Stark, for your information, I am not interested in dating someone who apparently has a girlfriend already. I assume you two are dating,” Natasha answered.

“Don’t pay any attention to him,” Pepper informed. “He likes to play around with ladies. He forgets that he is already taken. By the way, I’m Pepper Potts, Tony’s girlfriend.”

“Natasha Romanoff, Livy’s teacher.”

“I love your hair. Do you dye it?”

“Thank you, and no, it’s my natural color.”

“Well, it suits you. You definitely have natural beauty.”

Natasha smiled. “Well, I’m going to excuse myself. Duty calls. It was nice meeting you.”

“Duty calls us as well. It was great meeting Livy’s teacher.”

“Yes, it was,” Tony agreed.

Livy gave Natasha a hug and kiss. “Bye, Miss Nat. See you tomorrow.”

“Bye, Livy.”

* * *

 

Thor arrived Thursday afternoon, but he didn’t arrive alone as he had commented to Steve. When Steve picked him up at the airport, he was surprised to see Jane and Darcy with him.

“Why didn’t you tell me they were coming?” Steve had asked in a hushed tone. “I don’t have rooms ready for them.”

“Don’t worry. You only have to prepare one room. Jane can sleep with me.”

Jane and Darcy were gushing over how pretty Livy was and how grown up she was most of the way back to the Rogers house. Livy was a little scared because she didn’t remember any of them. After all, she had only seen them once at the funeral of her mother last year.

When they got to Steve’s house, he went to go prepare the other guest room for Darcy to use. He was getting sheets for the bed when Jane appeared. “I can prepare the room.”

“No, it’s all right. I’ve got it. You just traveled across the Atlantic Ocean. You need to rest.”

“I’m fine. I’d rather be moving around right now because, like you just said, I just traveled across the Atlantic Ocean. I was sitting the whole time, and I was sleeping. You go spend time with Thor. I know he wants to spend time with you,” Jane insisted.

Steve reluctantly gave her the sheets. “Um, the guest room where Darcy will be staying in is across from yours.”

“Go, I’ll be fine.”

Steve walked into the living room where Darcy and Thor were talking to Livy. Livy still didn’t feel that comfortable around them even though she knew Thor was her uncle. She wasn’t scared anymore, but she was shy. She was relieved when Steve walked into the room and sat down on the couch.

“Are you enjoying your Uncle Thor and Miss Darcy’s company, Princess?” Steve inquired.

Livy sheepishly nodded. She then went to sit on the couch with Steve and cuddled up against him.

“Did she talk?” Steve asked Thor and Darcy.

“A little bit, but I think she still needs to get used to us,” Thor answered.

“Where’s Jane?” Darcy asked.

“She’s in the guest room putting on the sheets. She insisted on it.”

“I’ll go join her. You two need to catch up.” With that said, Darcy got up and left the room.

“I didn’t even tell her where the room is at.”

“I think she remembers your house.”

Livy tugged on Steve’s arm. “Yes, Princess?”

“Can I go play?” she whispered.

“Yes, you can go play.” Livy quickly got up and went to her playroom.

“She has definitely grown. She looks like you,” Thor commented.

“Well, I agree, she got my eye color and hair color, but she is so much like Peggy. If you see her nose, mouth, even her ears, she got all that from Peggy. Her personality and character is a mix of both of ours, but she also has one all of her own.”

“How have you been holding up, Cousin?”

“Well, the first couple of months were the hardest, but in time, we fell into a routine.”

“I wish I could have stayed longer after the funeral.”

“I know you do, but you had responsibilities at home.”

“Have you moved on?”

“Yes, I think. It took me a while, but I was forced for Livy’s well-being. She needs a mother. It’s tough trying to play that role, and thinking about the future when she grows up, she needs someone to explain all the changes because I can’t do that. I haven’t the slightest clue. Considering all of that, I moved on.”

“Who’s the lucky lady?”

“You remember Sharon Carter? She was at Peggy’s funeral, and apparently, they became friends while I was in the army.”

“Yes, I remember her. Is she related to Peggy?”

“No, they just have the same last name. Well, that’s the lady I’m dating right now.”

“Right now? Did you date others?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“But you’re planning on it?” Thor question was more said as a statement than a question.

“No, I’m not. I’m actually planning on proposing around Christmas or New Year’s.”

Thor was pensive. “How long have you two been dating?”

“About three months.”

“Does Livy like her?”

Steve was not expecting that question. No one had ever asked him that. Did she like Sharon? Of course, she did. What’s there not to like about her? “Yeah, she likes Sharon just not as much as her mother.”

“I’d like to formally meet this Sharon.”

“Well, you will be able to, but I don’t know when yet.”

Thor nodded. He felt like there was something off but decided to ask someone else about it. “Will Wanda and Pietro be coming for dinner?”

“Yes, they will. They’re excited to see you.”

“Of course they are. Who wouldn’t be?”

Steve laughed. “Yeah, I think everyone is excited to see you. It’s been a bit more than a year.”

“Yes, it has. I’ve missed each and every one, but I’ve missed you the most.”

Steve smiled. “Did Livy mention that she’s taking ballet classes?”

“No, she didn’t. She was kind of shy to have any conversation.”

Steve nodded. “Well, she is. Could you go pick her up tomorrow? I have a busy day at work tomorrow, and I think it would be a good bonding time for you two and Jane and Darcy.”

“Jane and Darcy are going to meet up with Erik Selvig tomorrow morning, so it’ll just be Livy and me.”

“That’s fine as well. I’ll give you the address later. Her class ends at eleven in the morning, so be sure that you’re there before that time. I already let the teacher know that you’ll be picking her up.”

“How did you know I was going to agree?”

“Because I know my cousin.”

* * *

 

Later that evening, everyone-Steve, Thor, Jane, Darcy, Wanda, and Pietro-were having a nice talk. Some of the conversation was about the past, and some was of the present. Livy, who had already warmed up a bit to Thor, Jane, and Darcy, just sat listening, and she would sometimes say something about her ballet class or her friends.

Before leaving, Wanda pulled Thor aside. “Has Steve told you about Sharon yet?”

“Yes, he has.”

“What did you think?”

“I think there’s something a bit off. I was going to ask you about that later.”

“Well, it’s plain and simple. She spends too much time at work, doesn’t spend much time with Livy and the time she does spend with her, she basically bosses Livy around when Steve’s not watching. Livy told me that, and I know that Livy does _not_ like her. Basically, no one does. Steve is not thinking straight. Better said, he has not been thinking straight since Peggy died, but her made decent decisions. This is not one of them. He’s only thinking about Livy. Sharon has money, so he wouldn’t need to worry about that. But he doesn’t see how Sharon treats Livy behind his back, and Livy wouldn’t dare breathe a word about it to him because Sharon threatens her. Livy only tells me.”

“I knew there was something off when I asked Steve if Livy liked her. He thought about it for a minute before responding. Anyway, I know you aren’t standing by doing nothing, so what’s your plan?”

“I don’t have a formal plan. All I know so far is that we need to set him up with someone else but do it discreetly. I have the person in mind already. Tomorrow evening, Steve has a date with Sharon, so we are going to meet in Stark Tower to think this all through. Everyone has already been notified.”

“Who all is going to your secret meeting?”

“Well, Stark is obviously going to be there. Pepper, Clint and Laura, Bucky, Pietro and Allison-”

“Who’s Allison?” Thor interrupted.

“Pietro’s girlfriend.”

“Oh, I don’t know her.”

“Well, you’ll meet her tomorrow. May I continue?”

“Go on ahead.”

“So I said Stark, Pepper, Clint, Laura, Bucky, Pietro, Allison, Bruce, and Sam. If you agree to be part of the plan, then you will be there too. I would love it if Jane and Darcy were part of it as well. The more the better. I’m not sure if Livy or Cooper should be a part of it, but I think they shouldn’t be. I’ll just need to ask her if she likes the person which I’m pretty sure she does.”

“Who is the person you have in mind?”

“Livy’s ballet teacher. Her name is Natasha Romanoff. I heard you’ll be meeting her tomorrow. Everyone has met her except for Bruce, Sam, Clint, Laura, and you guys. We agreed that it should be her. She’s really nice. So are you in or not?”

“Of course I am. I’d do anything to help Steve avoid disaster. I’ll let Jane and Darcy know tomorrow after Steve’s gone.”

“Thanks for your support.”

“It’s my pleasure.”

* * *

 

When Thor went to pick up Livy from her ballet class the next day, he made sure to observe her. He actually could see that Steve and her would make a cute couple. He got the impression that Livy loved this Natasha, and Natasha loved her back. He had to conclude that Wanda had a good eye for such things. Personally, he couldn’t wait to see what plan Wanda came up with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the longest chapter I've written so far! Over 3,000 words! I didn't intend for it to be so long, but I couldn't break the chapter into two parts. The fun is about to begin!


	16. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let the planning begin!

* * *

 

Friday evening came quickly for Wanda. The whole day she was thinking about possible plans but none of them seemed good enough. She usually was great at thinking about plans, but she had never planned something like this. She had never had the need to “set someone up.” That was in Tony’s ally not hers. Well, at least she knew what she wanted to be done first, but she didn’t know how to put carry it out. She would just have to get help from everyone else.

* * *

 

Everyone was at the Tower already except for the Barton family. Wanda was getting worried that they wouldn’t be able to make it and almost decided to start without Clint and Laura. Right as she was going to call the “meeting” to order, Clint and his family walked in.

“Sorry we’re late,” Clint apologized. “I got home from work a little late.”

“That’s ok, at least you made it,” Wanda replied. “We’ll start in a minute.”

Livy, who had already spotted the Bartons, made her way towards them. To her surprise, Lila was there. When they saw each other, they squealed with joy and hugged each other. They were about to go play with Cooper when Wanda remembered she had to ask Livy a question.

“Hey, Maggie, can you come here for a minute?” Wanda asked.

Livy nodded. “I’ll be right there,” she told Lila. “Go on with Cooper.” Lila and Cooper left the room.

“Maggie, I’m going to ask you a question. It’s a very important question, so I need you to think about your answer.”

“What’s the question?” Livy asked curiously.

“What do you think about Miss Nat? Is she nice? Do you like her? How does she treat the kids in your class?”

“That was more than one question,” Livy pointed out.

Wanda laughed, “Yes, it was.”

“Miss Nat is really nice and very pretty. I like it when she gives me hugs. They make me feel safe, like Daddy’s hugs make me feel safe. She treats everyone really good. I like her red hair.”

“Ok, Livy, thanks for answering the questions. You can go play now.” Wanda was about to walk towards the rest of the adults, but Livy stopped her.

“Wait, Aunt Wanda. There’s one more thing.”

“Oh?” Wanda raised her eyebrows.

“It’s a secret, so you have to promise you won’t tell Daddy. You can tell them,” she said, pointing at the group of friends, “because I know you’re helping Daddy out.”

“I promise I won’t tell your dad your secret.”

“I love Miss Nat. I haven’t told her that yet, but I will soon, I think. I think Daddy loves her too.”

That statement surprised Wanda. “Why do you say you think that your dad loves her?”

“He stares at her sometimes. If he comes early, he stares at her while the class is finishing. Anyway, I wouldn’t mind if she became my mommy. She’s cooler than Sharon.” Livy said the name Sharon with disdain in her voice and even made an expression of disgust.

“We’ll try everything we can, Sweety. It ultimately comes down to your dad. It’s his choice not ours. Just don’t tell your dad what we’re doing because I’ll be dead.”

“I won’t tell him anything. Cross my heart,” Livy genuinely promised. With that said, she ran off to find Lila and Cooper.

“All right everyone! It’s planning time!” Wanda called out. That caught everyone’s attention. Wanda waited until the chatter died down a bit. “So, I believe I told everyone what this meeting is all about. Well, everyone except Jane and Darcy, but I imagine Thor told you.” Jane and Darcy nodded. “Great! So a little recap, Steve is dating Sharon. We don’t like Sharon. He’s too blind to see she’s not the perfect partner or perfect mother for Livy. There is one more thing which is new. Steve told Bucky about it about a week ago. Bucky told me the same day, and Steve told Thor about it yesterday. I believe that is all who know. Bucky, would you be so kind as to share the devastating news?”

Before Bucky could start speaking, Tony cut in. “Clarification. I know about it too. Steve told me first, so I think I should get to say it.”

“Tony!” Pepper called out.

“Well, Stark, first, I didn’t know you knew. Second, I asked Bucky to share it, not you. Bucky, go on ahead.”

“Well, it’s not devastating yet because it hasn’t happened, but it is disturbing. Steve told me that he is planning on proposing to Sharon around Christmas or New Year’s,” Bucky shared.

Gasps from those who didn’t know that arose in the room. “Steve can’t marry Sharon!” Sam protested loudly.

“We all know that, Sam. That’s the reason why I called you all here today. We need to give Steve a boost in the right direction.”

“What are you suggesting, Wanda?” Clint inquired.

“I was about to get to that, Clint. I have met a lady who loves Livy, and I think she would be a perfect match for Steve. Most of you have met her already.”

“Who is it?” Laura asked.

“Her name is Natasha Romanoff, and she is Livy’s ballet teacher. I think everyone except for Clint, Laura, Bruce, Sam, Jane, and Darcy has met her. Right?”

“Actually,” Laura cut in, “Clint and I know her.” Clint shot a look of disapproval towards Laura for saying that.

Wanda was surprised upon hearing that. “How can you two know her if you guys haven’t gone to pick Livy up?”

“Lila told Livy about the ballet classes, and I gave Steve the location of the school,” Laura explained. “But we’ve known her for about a year.”

“Wait a minute, you’re telling me you’ve known her for a year, and never mentioned her?”

“It’s a long story Wanda,” Clint spoke up. Wanda opened up her mouth to say something but was silenced when Clint continued. “It’s also confidential, so don’t think of trying to get it out of me.”

“All right. Let’s move on.”

“Wanda, now that that’s out in the open, I also know Natasha,” Bruce interrupted.

Wanda frowned. “How do you know her?”

“Like Clint said, it’s a long story, and it’s intertwined with Clint’s.”

“I see. Does anyone else know her? What about you, Sam?”

“Wish I could say I did, but no, Wanda, I don’t know her.”

“I know Jane and Darcy don’t know her unless you went with Thor today.”

“Actually,” Darcy spoke up.

“No, we don’t know her, Wanda,” Jane cut in before Darcy said anything else.

“I don’t know about you guys, but I want to hear Wanda’s master plan,” Tony said.

“I know I want to hear what my sister has come up with,” Pietro agreed.

“My master plan, huh?” Wanda asked nervously. Everyone nodded their heads. “Well, I don’t have a well formulated plan. I was thinking maybe you guys could help me come up with something.”

“What do you have so far?” Allison asked.

“Well, I know that I want to make sure Steve likes her in that way. Livy told me that she thinks Steve loves her because she’s seen him staring at her, but I want to make sure.”

“You want to know if Steve likes her?” Tony asked.

“That’s what I said.”

“I have proof that he does.”

Pepper immediately knew what Tony was referring to. “Oh no, Tony, you did not.”

“Yes, I did, Hon. Of course, I took the picture before giving Steve his backpack, and I made sure I took the picture in the car so that you wouldn’t stop me.”

“What are you guys talking about?” Sam asked.

“What does a backpack have to do with anything?” Pietro asked.

“Prepare to be amazed. Jarvis, can you please pull up the picture of Steve’s drawing?”

“Of course, sir.” Just then a holographic picture appeared from Stark’s phone for everyone to see.

“Steve drew that?” Thor asked.

“Yes, he did. It was in his notebook.”

“How exactly did you come across his notebook?” Darcy asked.

“Yeah, Stark, how did you? He always has it kept away,” Clint reasoned.

“There is a simple explanation to this,” Tony said calmly. “He forgot his backpack here one day. I found it that night, so I decided to look through his drawings. I didn’t expect to come across this though.”

Wanda, who had remained silent since she saw the picture, mumbled, “He used to draw Peggy all the time. He never draws Sharon. He drew Natasha.”

“What was that, Wanda?” Allison asked.

Wanda was still staring at the picture dumbfounded and apparently didn’t hear Allison’s question. Bucky answered for her since he was the one nearest her, and he heard what she said. “She said, ‘He used to draw Peggy all the time. He never draws Sharon. He drew Natasha.’”

“Finally someone makes the same observation that I made,” Tony blurted out.

“Let’s move on. I want to hear the rest of what Wanda has in mind,” Bruce said.

Tony instructed Jarvis to put the picture away. Once the hologram was gone, Wanda stopped her staring. “Sorry, guys. I was just thinking. That could mean that he does like her, but I was thinking of trying to get him jealous. That’s all I have. Anyone have any ideas?”

Tony saw this as his opportunity to speak his mind. “Get Steve jealous. Great plan! So I think that one of us, preferably Bruce or Sam since they’re still single, acts like a boyfriend to Natasha.”

“I don’t think that’s a really good idea,” Bruce disagreed.

“Definitely not a good idea. We do not and will not go down that road,” Clint added.

“Oh, come on. Why do have to oppose my plan? It’s a great plan, and it will work.”

“Look, I know Tasha better than you. She doesn’t deserve a fake boyfriend,” Clint argued.

“Oh yeah, Legolas, what makes you think that she doesn’t deserve a boyfriend?”

“Note, I said fake boyfriend, not boyfriend. She deserves a boyfriend, just not a fake one. Also, I know for a fact she’s absolutely not looking for a relationship right now.”

“What? Are you like her father or something?”

“No, I’m just someone who looks out for her.”

“Really? Because it seems like you’re her fa-“

“Enough!” Wanda yelled. “We didn’t come here to argue. Now, both of you put your egos away, especially you, Stark.”

Tony and Clint hung their heads like two boys that had just gotten into trouble.

“Tony, you’re idea is a really good one, but I agree with Clint. Natasha told me she had a hard past. I don’t want her to get her hopes up with a fake boyfriend and then have her heart broken when he ‘breaks up’ with her.”

“She’s got a point,” Jane and Darcy said in unison.

“Thank you, ladies,” said Clint.

“Really, Maximoff? You’re siding with Barton?” Tony scoffed.

Wanda sighed. “I’m not siding with anyone. Your idea is great, but we need to keep Clint’s observation in mind. Actually, your idea gave me an idea. It’s a modified version of your idea, but no one will get hurt by it.”

“What’s this idea of yours?” Sam asked.

“Since Bruce knows Natasha, they could go out as friends. That’s as far as I’ve gotten.”

“I have a brilliant idea!” Pepper exclaimed. “How about they go hang out at the same exact restaurant on the same exact day at the same exact time as Steve and Sharon?”

“That is a brilliant idea, Pepper!” Wanda excitedly said.

“I would have gotten to that if Barton would have let me finish my idea,” said Tony annoyed.

“Sure you would, Tony, sure you would,” Sam said.

“I got it!” exclaimed Wanda before Sam and Tony started bickering. “We’ll go with Pepper’s idea. Bucky, you suggest a restaurant to Steve where he should take Sharon. A day later, Thor, you ask him when he’s going on his next date and at what time. If he asks why you want to know, you tell him that Jane, Darcy, and you have something you want to do with Livy while he’s on his date. Ask him where he’s gonna go to make sure he’ll be going to the restaurant Bucky suggested. Oh, also, he would most likely tell you at what time he’s going to pick up Sharon, so we’ll calculate how long it’ll be ‘til they arrive at the restaurant. Once we know all of that, Bruce, assuming you have Natasha’s number and she has yours, you will call her and ask if she wants to hang out. You’ll take her to the same restaurant and ask or grab a table where Steve has a clear view of you guys. Have Natasha sit facing Steve. Try to make her laugh so that it will look like you two are flirting and having a good time together. Stark, I need you to hack into the security cameras of that restaurant so that we can observe Steve and Natasha’s faces.”

“Wait a minute, Wanda. You forgot there’s a police listening, right?” Allison asked.

Wanda looked at Clint. “You didn’t hear that last part.”

“Wanda, even if I didn’t hear that last part of your idea, I wouldn’t do that,” Clint told her.

“I couldn’t think of anything else, that’s why I said it.”

“How about one or two of you go there undercover? One sits at a table with a clear view of Steve, and the other one sits at a table with a clear view of Tasha,” Laura suggested.

“Or how about Pepper and I also go to that place for a date? Wouldn’t you like that, Pep?” Tony inquired.

“Tony, that would be too suspicious,” Bucky observed. “Steve would think one of two things. First, Bruce, Tony, and Pepper are spying. Second, they are up to something.”

“Who can speak with an accent?” Wanda asked. She hadn’t listened to anything Tony or Bucky said. “Well, it can be anyone except for Bruce, Thor, Jane, and Darcy since they’ll be busy.”

“I can speak with a southern accent,” Allison replied.

“I can too, but I think Steve would recognize me,” said Sam.

“Okay, I have the rest. Allison and Pietro, you two will keep an eye on Natasha, but Allison, you’ll be facing her. I’ll go with Sam, and we’ll be keeping an eye on Steve. I will be facing him.”

“Oh, come on, everyone has a role except for me!” Tony complained.

“Not everyone has a role, Stark. Clint, Laura, Bucky, Pepper, and you don’t have a role in this,” Darcy pointed out.

“Might I remind you that Bucky is going to suggest the restaurant, so he basically does have a role,” Thor countered.

“Oh, yeah, I forgot.”

“Look, Stark, if this goes well; then, we’ll have to plan something else. I’ll make sure you get a part in the next one,” assured Wanda.

“Um, guys, so I told Steve to tell me when he was on his way over. He just texted me that he forgot to text me, and that he’s already at the Tower,” Thor said with worry in his voice.

Wanda’s eyes widened, “Ok, so does everyone remember their part?” Everyone nodded. “Bucky, once you have the restaurant, tell us first.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll let you guys know,” Bucky said.

“All right, everyone! Act normal!” Wanda urged.

“Jarvis, what floor is Steve on?” Tony asked desperately.

“Captain Rogers is currently on the elevator on floor 15,” Jarvis answered.

Everyone started scrambling around so that it wouldn’t look like they were in a meeting. They were on floor 17, so they didn’t have much time. Tony darted to the bar to serve himself a drink. Laura said she was going to go check on the kids. Jane, Darcy, Pepper, and Allison started a conversation. Bucky lied down on an empty couch. Thor decided to go get some pop tarts. Sam, Clint, and Pietro started playing video games.

Clint pulled Wanda aside, “Wanda, I know you want to see Steve end up with a good person, but I’m warning you, if Tasha gets hurt, I will never forgive you. She’s been through too much pain already.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll see to it that she doesn’t.” Wanda gave him an assuring smile.

The elevator dinged, and Steve walked in. He was surprised to see everyone there. “Hey, guys! Didn’t know all of you would be here. I would have canceled my date so that we could all hang out.”

Wanda laughed nervously. “Didn’t Thor tell you that he was going to see everyone today at the Tower?”

“No, not that I remember. Did you Thor?”

Wanda glanced nervously at Thor because she didn’t actually know if he told Steve that. Thor saw her face and understood her worry. Thor looked up to the ceiling so that he would appear to be thinking. “I’m pretty sure I did, Cousin.”

“I only remember saying you were going to be at the Tower.”

“No, I’m pretty sure I said, ‘I’m going to go to Stark Tower with Jane, Darcy, and Livy to visit with Tony. He told me that everyone was going to be there, and I should go say hello to everyone and catch up.’ Yes, that’s exactly what I said.”

Steve hummed. “I guess part.”

“Does anybody want a drink?” Tony asked suddenly.

Everyone said yes but Steve. “I’m going to take Livy home. It’s her almost her bedtime.”

“But Steve, you just got here,” Bucky whined.

“Yeah, the fun was about to begin,” Stark added.

“Sorry guys. We can come back tomorrow evening.”

“What a way to ruin a party!” Tony said.

“You can party if you want Stark, but I’m going to go home. Thor, Jane, and Darcy, we need to go.”

“I know, Steve, but aren’t you forgetting something?”

Steve looked at him confused. That’s when he realized Livy wasn’t in the room. “Where’s Livy?”

“Laura went to check on them,” Clint answered, not looking away from the video game he was playing.

Laura came in right at that moment as if someone had summoned her. “Oh good, you’re here, Steve. Livy fell asleep in one of the guest rooms.”

“You see, Cap, she’s already asleep. No need for you to go home,” Stark pointed out.

Steve ignored him. “Which room is she in?”

“I’ll take you,” Laura offered.

Steve followed Laura to the room and saw Livy sleeping peacefully on the bed with Lila. He hated the thought of taking her home, but they couldn’t sleep here. Well, they could, but he didn’t want to. He quietly walked into the room and carefully picked up Livy. She began to stir but thankfully didn’t wake up. Steve made his way back to the common room where he said goodnight to everyone.

“If you bail on me tomorrow, I will personally go to your house and drag you here,” Tony threatened. “A party is not complete without you or Thor.”

“I highly doubt that, but I’ll be here, I promise.”

Once goodbyes were said, Steve, Thor, Jane, Darcy, and a sleeping Livy headed home. Thor, Jane, and Darcy were hoping the plan that had been presented worked or at least gave Steve a push in the right direction. Steve had no clue whatsoever what was awaiting him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I gave you all another chapter this week! I'm thankful for all the positive feedback! Love reading your comments and seeing what you think is going to happen. Your comments definitely help keep me motivated.


	17. Chapter 15

Bucky had a hard time finding a restaurant that both Steve and Sharon would like. He searched and searched through the internet. He looked at menus, photos, and reviews to make sure it was a nice place with good food. On Monday morning, he had finally found the restaurant. He immediately told the rest which one he was going to suggest to Steve. He sent them the link so that they could look at the menu and give their approval. Everyone agreed that he should suggest it because of the wonderful reviews the place had. All he had to do now was talk to Steve about it.

Bucky dialed Steve’s number and waited for him to pick up.

**“Hello?”** Steve answered.

“Hey, punk. It’s your pal.”

**“Oh, hey, Buck. What’s up?”**

“Nothing much. How about you?”

**“Well, I’m at home working on a drawing for the art gallery. Livy is napping.”**

“That’s nice.”

**“So, why did you call me?”**

“Well, I have a question.”

**“You have a question. That could be a good or bad thing.”**

“Do you have a restaurant picked out for your next date?”

**“Why are you asking?”** Steve asked slowly.

“Because if you don’t, I have a recommendation.”

**“Since when do you give me restaurant recommendations for dates?”**

“Since right now. You want to hear it or not?”

**“Yeah, sure. I really have no clue where I’m going to take Sharon next.”**

“Well, it’s a Mexican restaurant. I really hope you don’t mind. It’s called Casa Enrique.”

**“Mexican you said?”**

“Yep. You guys do like Mexican food, right?”

**“I do. Honestly, I’ll eat whatever as long as its food. I imagine Sharon does. I mean, she travels a lot, so she must have gone to Mexico once and eaten Mexican food.”**

“You’re telling me you don’t know if your girlfriend likes Mexican food?” Bucky asked, not believing what Steve had just said.

**“Yeah, what’s wrong with that?”**

“How do you plan dates if you don’t know what types of food she likes?”

**“We usually just go to her favorite restaurants,”** Steve stated matter-of-factly.

Bucky mentally face palmed himself. “Well, it’s about time to get her to try something new that is if she hasn’t tried Mexican food.”

**“I don’t know about that, Buck,”** Steve doubtfully said.

“It has great reviews, and they say the food is delicious, the service is quick and attentive, and the place is comfortable. At least give it a go.”

Steve stayed silent as if he still wasn’t sure it was a great idea.

“Look, tell Sharon I recommended it. If she doesn’t like it, she can blame me for picking it out and not you. How about that?”

**“If you really want me to take her, then I guess I will.”**

“I’ll send you the link so that you can see the menu. It looks like they have great options to choose from. I think I may even go there sometime.”

**“Thanks, Buck, for the suggestion.”**

“No problem. Anytime.”

Bucky hung up. He breathed a sigh of relief that his part was over. He didn’t think he would have to convince him so much. Hopefully, he didn’t just tell him that he was gonna take Sharon there just to get him off his back.

He texted Wanda to let her know he had finished his part. Plan A was successfully over.

Once Wanda read the text, he sent one to Thor telling him that whenever he was ready to do his part but not to do it today because Steve would get suspicious.

Two days had passed since Bucky had recommended the restaurant to Steve. Thor had decided he would wait that long until he carried out his part of the plan. In those two days, he was looking for something interesting to do with Jane, Darcy, and Livy just in case Steve asked what they want to do with Livy. After dinner, Thor was going to ask Steve. He had told Jane and Darcy to offer to clean up the table with Livy’s help so that he could talk to Steve alone. That’s exactly what they did.

“Darcy, Livy, and I can clean up in here,” Jane offered once everyone was done with dinner.

“Jane, you really don’t have to. You’re guests,” Steve answered.

“No, we insist that we are going to do it,” Darcy authoritatively said.

“Yeah, Steve, let them do it. Besides, I need to talk to you alone,” Thor added.

Steve reluctantly followed Thor to the deck overlooking the backyard. “What’s on your mind, Thor?”

 “I was talking with Jane and Darcy the other day, and we decided that we want Livy to spend some more time with us. We are thinking of doing that during your next date with Sharon, but we kind of need to know when that is going to be to plan it all out.”

“Ok, well, I’m going to be taking her out this Saturday.”

“That’s perfect. It gives us enough time to plan everything thoroughly,” Thor said, referring to more than just the outing with Livy. “Oh, and I almost forgot to ask. Around what time will you have your date? We want to know just in case we need to make dinner plans with Livy.”

“I told Sharon I was going to pick her up at six o’clock.”

“All right. Thanks. One more question. It’s just out of curiosity.”

“What?”

“Where are you taking Sharon?”

“To a restaurant Bucky suggested. I don’t remember the name of it, so ask him if you really want to know.”

Thor nodded. “Well, that’s all I wanted to know.”

“Now, it’s my turn to ask a question. Where are you planning on taking Livy?”

“We are planning on taking her to the Children’s Museum of Manhattan. Since it closes at seven, we’ll be taking her there first. Afterwards, we’re going to have dinner at Big Daddy’s.”

“How are you going to get there seeing as you don’t have a car?”

“That’s taken care of. Stark is going to lend me one of his cars.”

“Hm, that’s very unlike him. He usually doesn’t like other people to use his cars.”

Thor had forgotten about that, so he quickly came up with an answer. “It’s just, you see, he doesn’t know he’s lending it to us. I talked with Pepper about it, and she told me I could use one of Tony’s cars since he only needs one at a time.”

“Oh, I hope he doesn’t get mad about it. So, who’s going to drive?”

“Well, since I am so used to driving on the opposite side, either Jane or Darcy will drive because they’re not as used to it yet. Jane has gotten the hang of it more than Darcy. Better said, Darcy still hasn’t learned to drive in London, but if you ask her, she’ll tell you, ‘I have totally mastered driving in London.’”

“Have Jane drive because Darcy can sometimes be distracted.”

“Yeah, she can be. So you’re ok with us taking her to those places?”

“Yes, I am. As long as you guys put her to bed at nine, it’s fine with me if she goes out.”

“Thanks, Steve,” Thor said, giving him a hug.

Later that night, Thor passed the information to Wanda so that she could pass it to Bruce. Wanda calculated the time from Sharon’s house to the restaurant and immediately sent the info to Bruce.

Bruce read the text the next morning. Today was the day he had to ask Natasha to hang out. He hadn’t called or texted her in about six months, so he was a bit worried that she wouldn’t want to catch up. He was supposedly going to text her once he found out, but he pushed it back to lunch time knowing she would be free to text. Lunch time came around, but he didn’t text her. He pushed it back to text her around 8:30. When that time came, he knew that he couldn’t stall any longer. It was already Thursday night, and she wouldn’t like to be told last minute. _“Well, here goes nothing,”_ Bruce thought.

_Bruce: Hi, Natasha. It’s been a long time since we’ve talked. How have you been?_

Natasha had just gotten home when the text came in. She put her stuff on the couch and took out her phone. She was surprised to see a text from Bruce.

**Natasha: Hi, Bruce. Yeah, it’s been a long time. I’ve been doing better.**

_Bruce: That’s good. Um, I was wondering if you’d like to hang out and catch up._

**Natasha: I would like that.**

_Bruce: I was thinking on Saturday. Grab some dinner. Are you available?_

**Natasha: Yeah, I’m available. Where should I meet you?**

_Bruce: I was kind of thinking that maybe I could go pick you up._

**Natasha: Oh, I guess that would be fine.**

_Bruce: You still live in the apartment Clint and Maria got you?_

**Natasha: Yes, I do. At what time will you come by?**

_Bruce: I was thinking of picking you up around 6:15._

**Natasha: Perfect!** **Where are we going?**

_Bruce: It’s a Mexican restaurant. I think it’s called Casa Enrique. Is that ok?_

**Natasha: Sounds great! I haven’t had Mexican food in a while.**

_Bruce: Good. Well, I’ll see you on Saturday._

**Natasha: Ok. 6:15, right?**

_Bruce: Yes. Well, I need to go. Have a good night._

**Natasha: Thanks. You too.**

Bruce breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t think it was going to go so smoothly. He sent a text to Wanda letting her know that it’s was all set.

Wanda smiled when she received Bruce’s text. Everything was all set up. Now, Pietro, Allison, Sam, and she had to go buy a disguise so that Steve won’t recognize them. That had to be done either the next day or Saturday morning. She decided to tell them that they were going to shop for disguises the next afternoon.

Friday afternoon, Pietro, Allison, Sam, and Wanda went to the mall. They went to some clothes store looking for clothes that they would never wear. Pietro and Sam basically just tagged along. Wanda and Allison had decided to put their outfits together, but they needed Pietro and Sam to try on clothes to make sure it fit and to make sure it would be something they would never wear. After three hours of trying on different outfits, they finally had them all. Wanda was tried to convince Sam and Pietro to buy a fake beard and/or mustache, but they both refused.

Before Wanda was asleep, she thought about the plan over and over again. She hoped that it would have the outcome that she expected it to have. She was also hoping that Steve wouldn’t get suspicious about it. She will be so dead if Steve finds out what she’s doing, but she was willing to take the risk. Steve needed a little push in the right direction. She’s seen him suffer long enough, and though he appeared to be happy with Sharon, she knew that deep down inside, he wasn’t. She knew that he didn’t look at Sharon the same way he looked at Peggy, not even close. She knew that there was someone else out there that would make Steve feel the same things he felt with Peggy, and she had a feeling that someone is Natasha. He just didn’t see it yet. If he did, he was pushing it aside. This plan has to work; it just has to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So after two long chapters, I wrote a shorter one. This is a bit short because it's basically a filler chapter. Next one will be longer.
> 
> To see pictures of the outfits, go to wattpad. If you don't have wattpad, google my story. If you have wattpad, my username is love2read2017.


	18. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time to put the plan in action!

* * *

 

Saturday, the day Steve was going to take Sharon to the new restaurant, the day that the plan was going to be put in action, unbeknownst to Steve.

Steve was nervous. He hadn’t felt nervous on a date in a long, long time. But the nervous he was feeling was a different type of nervousness. He was nervous because he didn’t know how Sharon was going to react to the new restaurant. Well, here he was in front of Sharon’s apartment on Fifth Avenue on the Upper East Side. There was no turning back now. Yes, he could switch the restaurant, but he honestly didn’t have another option. He just had to take a shot for it. He went inside the building and headed towards the elevator. The receptionist already knew why he was there because of how often he went in. He got into the elevator and checked the time. 5:58 P.M. Well, he would make it just in time if no one else got into the elevator. The elevator stopped on the fifth floor, and he got out. He casually walked to 524. He looked at his watch before knocking on the door. 6:00 P.M. Right on time. He held up his hand to knock but hesitated a little. He could always cancel, say that Livy wasn’t feeling well. No, that would be lying. He gathered up his courage and knocked on the door.

“Coming!” he heard Sharon yell. As he was waiting, he heard her scrambling around. Finally, he heard a jingle of keys, and he knew she would be out soon. “Hey, Babe!” she greeted when she got out of her room. “Let me lock up.” When she finished locking her apartment, she turned around and closed the space between her and Steve. Steve leaned in for a kiss to which Sharon happily accepted. She threw her arms around Steve’s neck. Before Sharon could deepen the kiss, Steve pulled back.

“You ready to go?” he asked her.

“Yes.”

Once they were in Steve’s car, Sharon asked the question Steve was dreading. “So, where are we going tonight?”

Steve’s nerves came back, but he tried to keep his cool. “Oh, I thought we could try a new restaurant. Bucky recommended it, so I thought we should give it a shot.”

“A new restaurant?” Sharon asked perplexed.

“Yeah, it’s Mexican.”

“Ooo, I love Mexican food. I haven’t had it in a while. When I went to Mexico for a business trip, I tasted it. I thought I wasn’t going to like it, but it was delicious! I didn’t want to come back here because I knew I would miss the food.”

“I’m glad you like Mexican food. I was kind of worried you didn’t like it since we always go eat Italian and French food.”

“Well, you never asked me if I liked it,” she simply pointed out.

“Yeah, I realized that when Bucky was telling me about the restaurant.”

They were soon crossing the Queensborough Bridge. “Wait a minute,” Sharon said alarmed. “Why are we crossing the bridge?”

Steve inwardly laughed. “We’re crossing the bridge to get to the restaurant. It’s located at Long Island City.”

“I thought this restaurant was in Manhattan!”

“What’s the difference?” he asked completely confused as to why it bothered her that it wasn’t in Manhattan.

“Manhattan restaurants are the only ones _I_ eat at, Steve, and you know that!”

“Oh come on, Sharon! That’s ridiculous!”

“I’m serious!”

“Please, just give this restaurant a chance. Remember, it’s Mexican.” Steve made eye contact with her and gave her a small smile before focusing back on the road.

“Ok, but only because I like Mexican food, and never, never-note I said _never_ -take me to a restaurant on this side of New York again! Understand?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He kind of expected this reaction from Sharon, only much worse. Yes, he did know that she only ate in “Manhattan restaurants,” as she put it, but they were always the same ones. Honestly, he was getting a little bored of all that fancy food for date nights. Hopefully, Sharon wouldn’t complain anymore so that this night could go by smoothly.

* * *

 

Natasha was putting on the final touches of her makeup. She was excited to see Bruce again because he had helped her during a rough time in her life. Yes, she was kind of mad at him for dropping all contact with her because he was one of the only people she could trust, but she was determined to find out why he had. She also wanted to know how his relationship with Betty was going along. She had only met the girl once, and she seemed to be a nice person, not to mention the fact that Bruce and Betty looked cute together. She had told Clint about Bruce asking her to dinner to hang out to which Clint asked, “So, you’re going on a date? That’s so sweet!” She had given him one of her death glares, and he didn’t say more. Now, here she was applying her lipstick, and it was already 6:15. She knew Bruce would be at the door any minute. As if on cue, she heard a knock on the door. “I’ll be out in a minute!” she called out. She quickly went to her full body mirror to see how she looked. She examined her outfit up and down before realizing she was still wearing flip flops. She ran to her closet and pulled out her shoes for that outfit. Perfect! She was ready. She grabbed her purse and made sure her keys and phone were in there. She stepped out of her apartment and greeted Bruce with a friendly hug. “Long time no see,” she commented.

“Yeah, it’s been a while. How have you been?”

“I’ve been a little better. I’ll tell you all about it at the restaurant.” She started  walking towards the stairs.

“Hey, aren’t you going to lock your door?” asked Bruce.

“Oh right. I forgot.” She turned around and went to go lock her door. “There. Let’s go. I’m starving.”

* * *

 

A couple of minutes after Steve and Sharon arrived at the restaurant, Wanda and Sam arrived but in there “disguises.” Wanda was a little bit worried that Steve was going to recognize them, but lucky for them, he didn’t notice them come in to the restaurant and being taken to their requested seats. As in the plan, Wanda had eyes on Steve, and Sam had his back to the couple if that’s what you even want to call it.

Not long after, Sam saw Bruce and Natasha walk in. “The cardinal has arrived,” Sam whispered to Wanda.

“What does that even mean, Sam?” Wanda turned around to see what he was looking at. She caught sight of Bruce with Natasha. “Seriously?” she asked facing Sam again.

“That’s the only thing I could think of. Besides, she has red hair.”

“I think I would have caught on if you would have said ‘The sparrow has arrived’ because it’s a widely used expression, but you just had to go with cardinal.”

Sam shrugged off the comment. “You know, she is hot.”

“First of all, back off because she’s not yours. Second of all, you’ve been spending too much time with Stark.”

“In my defense, Tony would have said sexy, not hot. And if Steve doesn’t fall for her, can I have a shot?”

Wanda rolled her eyes at Sam. “She’s too beautiful for you.”

Sam grabbed his chest in mock pain. “Oh, a way to break a fella’s heart.”

“Way too much time with Tony,” Wanda muttered.

“What was that?”

“Nothing!”

Sam let it go. “So has he seen her yet?”

“What? Who has seen who yet?”

“Wow, you basically coordinated the whole plan, and you’re asking me who has seen who! They’ve already sat down. Has Steve seen her?”

“Oh! Sorry, I was too busy hearing your lame comments.” She looked at Steve. “Yep, he’s definitely seen her.”

“And? What’s his facial expression?”

“I’m liking it. I think it’s working,” she squealed in delight quietly.

“What’s going on?” he asked impatiently. He was about to turn around, but Wanda stopped him.

“Don’t turn around!” she whispered loudly.

“Then tell me!”

“Ok, so do you remember the looks Steve would give other guys when they would flirt with Peggy?”

“You mean those glares that practically sent daggers?”

“Ugh, not the death look! The other one! The jealous one!”

“Oh! You mean the ones that said ‘What are you doing talking to my girl?’ one?”

 “Yes, that one!”

“What about it?”

“Oh my word! You are so naïve!”

“Wait! You’re telling me that that’s the look Steve has right now!”

“Yes! Finally!”

“Oh, by the way, Pietro and Allison are here.”

“Good!”

* * *

 

“This is a nice restaurant!” Natasha told Bruce when they got in.

“Yeah, it is,” he agreed. “A friend of mine suggested it to me, and I decided to try it.”

“I’m glad you did! The options on the menu sound so good that I’m having a very hard time deciding what to get.” She scanned her eyes over the menu over and over again apparently looking at options. She had not noticed Steve yet even though he was in clear view.

“How’s life been treating you?” Bruce asked breaking the silence.

“Well, better than before that’s for sure. I opened up a ballet school this summer, so I’m occupying my time giving classes. All of my students are wonderful, but there is one little girl that has so much potential. She works very hard. I can tell she’s dedicated to ballet. I see the sparks of enjoyment when she’s dancing to a new song I show my class. I’m amazed at her because she is the youngest student I have, and she’s advanced rapidly.”

“Wow! I’m sure she enjoys it. What’s her name?”

“Her name is Olivia Rogers, but her dad calls her Livy. She actually has many nicknames. I’ve met some of her aunts and uncles, and they seem to be a nice family that loves her very much. I have yet to meet her mother, but I’m sure she’s as sweet as Livy.”

Bruce was about to agree with her that Livy’s family was nice but caught himself just in time. Natasha can’t find out just yet that he knows them. “I’m glad that you’re enjoying your job! Do Clint and Maria still watch out for you?”

Natasha sighed sadly. “Yes, they still keep a watchful eye on me. Unfortunately, some of Alexei’s minions are still on the loose, so Clint is watching me like a hawk. Maria is the substitute in case Barton can’t at the moment.”

“But, do you feel comfortable having them watching your every move?”

“Most of the time, yes, because I don’t want something to happen to me again. But there are other times that I just need some breathing space. You know what I mean?”

“Kind of.”

“But enough about me. How’s everything going with Betty?” She smirked playfully at him.

Bruce blushed but his eyes showed he was sad.

“Oh, did I overstep? I didn’t mean to-” she didn’t know what to say.

“It’s ok. It’s not like it was your fault.”

“What happened? Oh, I’m sorry. You don’t have to tell me if you’re not comfortable.”

“It’s ok. I’ll tell you. My relationship with General Ross, Betty’s father, was never a good one. There was never a time we were on good terms. I constantly would argue with him about Betty’s well-being because he would force her to do what he wanted her to do. You know that when I get angry at someone I can’t very well control it, so he basically told me to stay away from Betty. I told Betty about it, but she didn’t care. She would sneak out of her house to meet me at specific places. Ross soon found out what we were doing. He was mad but kept his calm. He strictly prohibited Betty to see me, and he forced her to break up with me and lose all contact with me. Her father changed her cell phone number, and I wasn’t allowed on the property hence he call the police. I haven’t talked to her since.”

“Oh, that’s awful.” Natasha grabbed his hand and stroked it to comfort him. “I could probably help out a bit if you want me to.”

“I honestly don’t know what to do.”

Natasha looked at him sympathetically. “Where does she live?”

“She lives on Staten Island. I’ll send you the address later.”

“That’s fine. I could go visit her. I’m not sure if she’ll remember me, but I know that we exchanged phone numbers that one time I met her. She wanted to hang out. I can see if she’s moved on or if she still has feelings for you. If she does, I could invite her for coffee, and you’ll come with me. How does that sound?” She gave him a smile.

“I guess it won’t be too bad as long as Ross doesn’t find out about it.”

“I’ll make sure he doesn’t. You two are perfect for each other! I saw the way you looked at her and she looked at you. There’s definitely chemistry between you two! Don’t let what Ross says bring you down.”

“You’re right. For now, let’s just see how it works out.”

“That sounds great!”

“So how about you? Have you found that special someone?”

“No, not yet. I haven’t really been searching. I guess I’m still scared that the same thing is going to happen again. I’m not the easiest person to open up to someone I’ve just met.”

“There at least has to be someone that you find handsome,” Bruce smirked.

Natasha sighed with a sweet smile on her face. “Yes, there is one person that is handsome, or better yet gorgeous.”

“I sense that there’s a ‘but.’”

“Yeah. Unfortunately, he’s married.”

“Hold on! You’re telling me that a married man is handsome –I mean-gorgeous in your eyes?”

“Yes. It’s just that he has eyes as blue as the ocean. His smile is sweet even though sometimes it has a hint of sadness in it. Actually, his eyes look sad and tired at times as well. I don’t know why because he has a beautiful daughter. Everything about him is perfect.” She smiled dreamily at the thought of him. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t even be thinking all of this much less voicing it out loud.”

“You probably shouldn’t, but it’s normal to feel attracted to someone. At least you know what you want in a guy.”

“Yes, he’s also a gentleman. I can see it in the way he treats his daughter. For crying out loud, he called me ma’am when we first met!” She laughed.

That last statement caught Bruce’s attention. He only knew one person in the world who called a lady ma’am when he didn’t know them. “It seems as if you’re pretty well acquainted with this guy.”

“I wouldn’t say I’m well acquainted with him, but I do see him Mondays through Fridays. He’s the father of one of my ballet students.”

“Does this gorgeous guy have a name?”

“Of course, he does! His name is Steve Rogers.”

“Is he in any way related to Olivia,” he asked even though he knew he was.

“Yes, he’s her father.”

“Well, I’ll be!”

“What?”

“Did I say that out loud?”

“Yes, indeed you did, Bruce.”

“Sorry. This guy seems nice. Too bad he’s married.”

“Yes, that’s what I always have to remind myself of. It’s too bad because I think I wouldn’t mind dating him. I sense security when I’m around him. I don’t know if you know what I mean.”

“I totally know what you mean. I would sense that and comfort around Betty.”

“Yeah, well, to find another person like him is like finding a needle in a hay stack, so I don’t think I’ll ever get married again which it’s totally fine with me. Don’t have to worry about caring for a family.”

Bruce nodded because he didn’t know what to say. Deciding it would be better the drop this conversation, he decided to start a new one.

* * *

 

Steve noticed when Bruce and Natasha came into the restaurant. He saw Natasha walk in first, and he couldn’t believe his eyes. Livy’s beautiful ballet teacher was in the same restaurant as he. Then Bruce walked in. That caught him by surprise. He must have made a face because Sharon noticed.

“Hey, Babe. Something wrong?”

“No, everything’s fine. I thought I saw someone that looked familiar is all.”

Sharon continued talking about who knows what because Steve wasn’t paying attention to her anymore. _“Why is Bruce with Natasha? How did they meet? When did they meet? Why did they decide to come to this restaurant on the same day as my date?”_ It was all very confusing to him. _“Maybe Tony set them up for a blind date. If he did, I’ll kill him later. He has no right to do that!”_ During the evening, he continued to observe her during the night because she just had to happen to sit in the perfect place where he could see her. He felt his blood start boiling when he saw her reach her hand over to his and start rubbing it. All the smiles, all the times she laughed got him more and more jea- _“Wait a minute. I can’t be. I have Sharon. It’s not like Natasha is my girlfriend. She’s nothing to me. She just happens to be a beautiful lady that gives ballet classes to my daughter. Heck, I don’t even know her. So there is no reason to feel what I’m feeling. But her lips are so inviting to- Rogers, get your mind out of the gutter.”_

“Babe, did you listen?”

Steve snapped out of his thoughts. “Say what now?”

“Pay attention. I was asking your opinion on whether or not I should remodel my apartment.”

“Um,” his eyes darted back and forth from Sharon to Natasha so that he wouldn’t miss a thing, “You can do whatever you want. If you feel it’s time for a change, then go ahead remodel it.”

“Yes, I think I will.”

Sharon continued to rant about how she wanted her apartment to look like now, and every once in a while, she’d ask Steve’s opinion to which he would just nod in reply or say, “That’s nice.” But he wasn’t paying any attention whatsoever to what Sharon was saying. The whole dinner, he kept watching Natasha.

Bruce and Natasha were the first ones to get up to leave. Natasha went over to give Bruce a hug and reassure him that she would help with Betty. As she was in his arms, she noticed Steve staring. Or was he really staring because he turned away just as she caught his eye. _“No, definitely he was staring, and he didn’t come over to say hello.”_ Natasha noticed a blonde lady sitting across from him. She pulled away from Bruce a little abruptly to which he raised an eyebrow. “Sorry, I saw someone I know. Let’s go over to say hello.”

“But I don’t-”

“Come on!” Natasha pulled Bruce in the direction Steve was at. “Hello, Mr. Rogers. What a coincidence to find you here in the same restaurant! How have you been? How’s Livy?”

“I-I’m fine,” Steve stuttered, “and Livy’s fine as well. She’s with, um, she’s with Thor right now.”

“Oh, that guy with the accent that picked her up the other day?”

“Yes, that’s the one.”

“Babe, who’s this?” Sharon asked sweetly.

“Oh, um, she’s um-” Steve was cut off by Natasha.

“Hi! I’m Natasha Romanoff. I’m Livy’s ballet teacher. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Mrs. Rogers! You must be very proud of your daughter.”

“Oh, actually, I’m Steve’s girlfriend. Sharon Carter.”

“I’m sorry, I just assumed that-”

“It’s totally fine. I’m pretty sure that soon I’ll be Mrs. Rogers. Isn’t that right, Babe?”

“We’ll just see about that.” He forced a smile.

“I forgot to introduce you to him. He’s-”

This time it was Steve’s turn to interrupt her. “Bruce Banner. I’m surprised that you’re with my daughter’s ballet teacher.”

Natasha was perplexed to find out they knew each other. “Did I miss something?”

“They’ve known each other for a long time,” Sharon explained.

While Sharon said that, Steve asked Bruce, “So Stark set you up?”

“What?”

“Bruce, I need to get home soon. I have a couple of things to do,” Natasha said, not noticing the tension in between Steve and Bruce.

“Of course, let’s go.”

“It was so nice meeting you, Miss Carter. Mr. Rogers, it was nice to see you. Please tell Livy I said hi.”

“Will do.”

“It was nice meeting you, Miss Romanoff!” Sharon called out while Natasha and Bruce walked away.

* * *

 

Pietro, Allison, Wanda, and Sam all left around the same time before Sharon and Steve.

“That was a huge success!” Wanda squealed just as soon as they got out of the restaurant. “The best part is that Steve doesn’t even know what happened!”

“I’m glad it was a success, Sis. Hopefully, neither of them get hurt in the process,” Pietro quietly said.

“If someone were to get hurt, it will be Natasha or Sharon, but we don’t care if Sharon gets hurt. We should be worried about Natasha,” Sam pointed out.

“So, Allie, how did it go with Nat?”

“Well, she grabbed his hand and smiled and laughed a lot. Then they hugged,” Allison spilled out.

“That’s wonderful! Steve’s look was priceless. I even took a picture with my phone. Look.” She showed the picture to everyone.

“Oh my, that’s the same way he would look at Peggy if another guy would talk to her!” Pietro exclaimed.

“I know right! That’s why I say it was a huge success!”

“Um, guys, sorry to break up the party, but they’re starting to get up to leave,” Sam told them.

“We’ll have to set up another meeting at the Tower to talk about this. We still need to get Bruce’s side of the story. For now, I’m getting out of here before Steve comes out. Good night!” Wanda skipped away into the darkness towards her car.

Sam also said his goodbyes and left. Pietro took Allison home before heading home himself.

Yes, the night was a success. Steve’s dreams that night were filled with a certain red head. Could it be that he was slowly falling for her?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that you enjoyed it! I made a change. Instead of Allison and Pietro keeping an eye on Steve, Wanda and Sam are. I edited chapter 14 to match it up. I decided not to put Pietro and Allison observing Natasha because I basically wrote it down when Bruce and Natasha were talking. Also, it would have made the chapter much longer.
> 
> Before you comment, I want to know if you want me to write about Livy's outing with Thor, Jane, and Darcy. I'm also suggesting the idea on Wattpad and Fanfiction, so I may or may not write depending on how many "yes" or "no's" I get. 
> 
> One last thing, to see pictures of Natasha's outfit, makeup, and hairstyle, go visit my story on Wattpad:  
> https://www.wattpad.com/544308521-finding-love-again-chapter-16


	19. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since most readers wanted the chapter about Thor, Jane, Darcy, and Livy, I decided to write a short chapter about it. To those who are wanting a Romanogers part, don't worry about it. You'll get it sooner than you're expecting it.

* * *

While Steve was on his date, Thor, Jane, and Darcy were spending quality time with Livy. When they arrived to the children’s museum, Thor paid the entrance.

“Livy, what exhibit do you want to visit first?” Jane asked while Thor paid.

“Which exhibits are there?” she sheepishly asked. Even though she had been around Thor, Jane, and Darcy, she was still a little shy around them when Steve wasn’t there.

Darcy, who had grabbed a brochure, answered her. “There are a lot of interesting exhibits. Before you say which one, listen to all the options. There is Let’s Dance, Hello from Japan, EatSleepPlay: Building Health Every Day, PlayWorks, Adventures with Dora and Diego,Collage Collaborations: Juan Hinojosa, and Dynamic H2O.”

“Livy, before you choose, we have one hour before closing time, so pick wisely,” Jane told her.

“I want to go to the dance one but last. I want to go to the Dora one first, then the Japan one, then the one that has to do with eating,” she answered.

“That’s sounds great! So since you picked four, we’ll spend 15 minutes in each one so that you can go to each one.”

Thor walked over to the little group. “So, ladies, have you decided what we’re going to do?”

“We’re going to go to four exhibits in this order: Dora, Japan, EatSleepPlay, and Dance spending 15 minutes in each one,” announced Darcy.

“Sounds like a plan! Let’s go see Dora.” Thor started to lead the way.

“Um, Thor, you’re going the wrong way,” pointed out Jane.

“Right, just seeing if you were paying attention.”

Because Livy was excited to go to the Let’s Dance exhibit, they ended up spending in between five and ten minutes in each of the other exhibits. Darcy spent time playing with Livy in the Dora exhibit, Jane in the Japan exhibit, and Thor in the EatSleepPlay exhibit. Livy began getting closer to each one, but she preferred Darcy because she was fun. They finally got to the dance exhibit. Livy squealed with delight when she saw the space to dance.

“Uncle Thor, Aunt Jane, Aunt Darcy! Come dance with me!”

“How about you show us some of your ballet moves first then we’ll join you,” Jane suggested.

“Ok.” Livy’s smile couldn’t get any wider. She danced a simple dance that she had just learned in her classes. Afterwards, she showed them different dance moves.

“Wow, Livy! That was remarkable!” Thor praised.

“It definitely was,” agreed Jane.

Darcy smiled brightly at her. “You really enjoy ballet, don’t you?”

Livy nodded her head. “Now can you guys dance with me?”

Thor, Jane, and Darcy joined her. They took turns dancing with Livy, then they would make up their own little dance. Closing time came quickly for Livy. She was having so much fun that she was disappointed when Jane said it was time to leave.

“Aren’t you hungry, Livy?” asked Thor.

“Yes, I am. Where are we going to eat?”

“We’re going to go eat hamburgers,” Darcy said with excitement.

“I love hamburgers! But not as much as I love pizza. Pizza is my favorite food,” explained Livy.

“Well, I’m glad you like hamburgers. Have you ever been to Big Daddy’s?” Thor asked her.

“I’ve gone with Mommy. Daddy took me their once, but that was a long time ago.”

“You’re in luck today because that’s where we’re going!”

“We’d better get going before we get any hungrier,” said Jane while taking out the car keys.

After ordering their food, Darcy asked, “So, Livy, you said you would come here with your mom?”

“Yeah, we would come here a lot. One time she told me that it would remind her of Daddy.”

“It should have. This was a place that they would come for dates quite often,” revealed Thor.

“My Daddy would _never_ come here for a date,” Livy interjected.

“I know it’s hard to believe now, but he’d rather come to these places for casual dates instead of going to those fancy restaurants he always goes to with Sharon.”

Livy stared at him with wide eyes. “Are you sure?”

“One hundred percent. He prefers to leave fancy restaurants for special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries, but it seems as if being with Sharon has changed that.”

Taking over the conversation, Jane slowly said, “Livy, we’re all wondering something. Do you like Sharon? Please be honest with us.”

“I used to like her when she was Mommy’s friend but not anymore. I heard her tell Mommy once that she doesn’t want kids. When Daddy started dating her, she started being mean. She told me that she was going to send me to a special school when she marries Daddy,” Livy spat out bitterly.

“Send you to a special school? Did she say which one?” Jane asked concerned.

Livy’s eyebrows furrowed. “I don’t remember what she called it. All I remember is that it ended with school.”

Thor, Jane, and Darcy glanced at each other knowing all too well what school Sharon told her about. “Boarding school,” they all said in unison.

“That’s what she called it! What is that place?”

Thor and Darcy turned to Jane so that she would explain. “Boarding school is a place where they teach you lots of things. They have rules you need to follow. The down-side is that you can’t go home until Christmas and summer. You wouldn’t like going to one,” Jane explained as simply and understandably as she could.

“Have you told your dad about that?” asked Darcy.

Livy quickly shook her head.

“We have to tell him!” said Thor.

Livy’s face turned ghost white. “No! You can’t tell him!”

“Why, Livy? He needs to know,” Darcy prodded.

“He just can’t know,” was Livy’s simple answer.

Jane noticed the fear in the little girl’s eyes. Thor opened his mouth to say something, but Jane shot him a disapproving look. She knew that it was best not to keep pressing her about the topic. “What do you think about your ballet teacher?” Jane asked switching the topic.

Once Jane finished asking the question, all of the fear in Livy’s eyes disappeared and a sparkle replaced it. She smiled widely. “Miss Nat is the best! I love her. She’s really nice. I like her red hair and her green eyes. I like her laugh and her smile. If we mess up, she doesn’t yell at us. She helps us until we get the ballet move. She’s kind.”

Once again, Thor, Jane, and Darcy exchanged glances. Seeing Livy’s adoration for Natasha was something they didn’t expect. Yes, they knew that she liked her but not to the extent she was showing right now. Now more than ever, they were hoping that their plan would be a success. They were honestly a little anxious now to hear about the outcome of the date.

The rest of the evening went by smoothly. Livy’s timidity with Thor, Jane, and Darcy disappeared completely by the time the night was over. She grew to love them like all of her other aunts and uncles. Thor, Jane, and Darcy grew fond of the little girl and fell in love with her personality. Even though this outing was an excuse to find out information about Steve’s next date, it helped all four of them to bond immensely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I keep forgetting to mention this, but all the places I've mentioned (at least I think it's all of them other than the ballet school and the art gallery) are real places in New York.


	20. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BONUS CHAPTER!!!!  
> This is the chapter I have been eagerly waiting to post. I hope you guys enjoy it!

* * *

 

The next week, after Wanda’s plan had been played out, Natasha sent a text to Steve.

**Natasha: Good afternoon, Mr. Rogers. I was wondering if you are free right now. I need to speak with you about Livy.**

_Steve: Hello, Miss Romanoff. Yes, I’m free right now._

**Natasha: Great! Could you meet me at Starbucks?**

_Steve: Unfortunately, I can’t right now. Livy isn’t home, so I need to wait for her here. Would you mind coming to my house?_

**Natasha: I wouldn’t mind at all. I just need your address.**

Steve texted her the address.

  **Natasha: Thanks. I’ll see you in half an hour.**

Natasha arrived at the address Steve texted her. Since she moved to New York, she had never been to Brooklyn until now even though she lived one borough over. Steve's house was pretty. It had a nicely trimmed lawn on the front. It was a two story house. She got out of her car and walked up the walkway to the porch steps. Once she was on the porch, she rang the doorbell and waited. Not long after, Steve opened the door.

"Hello, Miss Romanoff. Come on in."

"Please, call me Natasha, Mr. Rogers," she said as she stepped inside the house.

"Okay, Miss-I mean-Natasha. In that case, you can call me Steve."

"All right, Steve."

"I hope you found the house all right."

"Yeah, I did. I used the GPS."

"Right." They entered the living room. "Please have a seat." Steve motioned to the couches. "Would you like something to drink? I have juice, water..."

"Water is fine."

Steve went into the kitchen to get her water. While he was in the kitchen, she looked at the paintings he had on the wall. She was really admiring them when something she saw from the corner of her eye caught her attention. It was a picture frame. The picture had a brown haired lady holding a baby and a blonde haired man in an army uniform. She knew the man was Steve, so she guessed the baby was Livy and the lady was Steve's family member or a family friend. She looked at the picture a bit longer and went back to admiring the paintings. Steve came back and handed her a glass of water. She accepted it and took a seat again while Steve did the same.

"I love those paintings you have on the wall. Where did you get them?"

"I painted them," Steve replied humbly.

"You did!? Wow! They're amazing!"

"Thanks."

"Do you paint a lot?"

"It's actually my job. I work at an art studio."

"Oh, that's nice."

"So, what do you want to talk about?"

"Well, I wanted to talk about Livy's potential, but I have a favor to ask you first."

"OK, what can I help you with?"

"Well, now knowing that you are an artist I was wondering if you could design a poster. You see, at the end of the summer ballet course, the students will be presenting Swan Lake. I was going to start looking for a design company, but I want you to design it."

"Well, I don't really do design work, but I do know how to. I think I can come up with some ideas. Just let me know what you want your poster to say, and I'll design a couple of different ones. Once I'm done, we can meet up so you can see them and pick the one you want."

"Yes, that's perfectly fine. How much will it cost?"

"That depends on the design and the amount you want printed."

"OK. I know I want posters, but I want flyers as well. The flyers will be the same as the posters, but smaller."

Steve nodded his head. "I think that it would be better if we set a day where we can go over all those details."

"I agree because that was not the main reason why I came here."

"So you said that you came here to talk about Livy's potential."

"Yes, that's right. Livy has a lot of potential in ballet. Even though she is the youngest in the class, she learns all the moves before anyone else. I think she could be ahead of the class, but since I'm teaching them all together, I can't teach her more. I was wondering if after the summer I could take her on as a private student. I know that she is going to start kindergarten, so it would be once or twice a week in the afternoon. Would you let her?"

Steve absorbed everything Natasha had just told him. Natasha started to get a bit worried. "I know it's a lot to take in, and I understand if you want to think about it some. I really recommend that you say yes. I told your sister the day we found each other in the mall that Livy reminds me of myself. She dances with so much passion. I think she could make a career out of it if she really wanted to."

"I know that it was always Livy's dream to dance ballet, so I believe you when you say she dances with passion. Let me think about it, and I'll get back to you on that."

"Please think carefully about it. I'll respect your decision."

"Thanks."

An awkward silence followed. Natasha wanted to ask a question that was burning in her mind ever since she saw the picture frame, but she didn't know if it would offend Steve. Despite that worry she decided to go for it. "When you were getting my water, I was admiring your paintings, but then I saw this picture frame." She got up and grabbed it. "I was wondering, who's the lady holding the baby?"

Steve grabbed the frame and looked at the picture. Pain was evident in his eyes and a sad smile formed on his lips. "That was my wife. The baby is Livy."

Natasha was surprised. "I thought Livy was Sharon's and your child."

Steve shook his head. "No, Sharon has only been my girlfriend for about 6 months."

"Oh." Natasha let that sink in. Then, "What happened to your wife?" she blurted out without thinking.

Steve stayed silent. Natasha then realized what she had asked. "I'm so sorry. You don't have to answer that. I shouldn't pry into your life."

"It's okay. I want to tell you. Just give me a moment." He paused to collect his thoughts. "Margaret Carter was her name. Everyone called her Peggy. She was from England and had the most beautiful British accent. The year I started high school, my cousin Thor, who grew up in England, and Peggy were chosen to come to study in New York. It just happened to be the same high school I was going to attend. Thor and Peggy went to the same school in England so they knew each other. Thor introduced her to me on the first day of school. It was love at first sight. We dated all through high school and got married shortly after we graduated because I was going to enter the military. When I would get leave, I would spend every minute with her. I was in Iraq when she told me she was expecting. I missed her whole pregnancy. Thankfully, I was home when Livy was born. I missed most of the first three years of Livy's life. I missed her first word and first steps. I missed basically everything. I was only allowed to come back for two months each year. Then the accident happened. A bit over a year ago, I got a call from Tony while I was in a meeting. I thought he just wanted to joke around, but he had called me to tell me that Peggy had been in a car accident." He stopped for a minute as he recalled that painful day. "She was coming home after visiting Tony and Pepper. Livy was with her. A drunk driver was speeding down the road and passed the red light as Peggy was crossing. It hit her side directly, and she died instantly. Livy was fine, only a bit bruised. I immediately came back home for the viewing and funeral. It was the hardest thing I had to do, bury my wife. I feel as though I didn't spend enough time with her. I feel as though I didn't say 'I love you' enough. At that time, I regretted ever joining the army. Bucky joined the army because of me, and he lost his arm. Then I lost Peggy. I was devastated. On top of all that, Livy didn't remember me, and she cried whenever she was alone with me. She had to stay with Pepper for two months. I visited her everyday until finally, she felt comfortable being alone with me and understood that I was her father. I resigned from the army to take care of Livy. That's basically it."

Natasha was silent. She now understood why Steve had a sad look in his eyes that he tried to hide. She understood why no one talked about Livy's mother. She understood why Steve was very protective of her. "Wow. I didn't think you had such a past. It must have been really hard. I'm sorry you had to go through all of that. But even though you did, never regret that you joined the army. I’m sure that you served your country well."

"Yeah," Steve replied. He looked at the picture one last time before getting up to put it back on the side table. "Well, I told you my story. What's yours?" He quickly added, "Only tell me if you want to."

"Don't worry. It's only fair that I tell you mine." Natasha set her empty glass on the table. "I was born in Russia."

Steve interrupted her before she could go on, "You're Russian?"

"Yes, I am."

"You don't have an accent."

"Well, I've spoken English for some time, and they taught me to speak without an accent. Now, may I continue?"

"Yes, go on. Sorry for interrupting."

"So, as I said, I was born in Russia. My parents died when I was 8 in a fire. I was immediately taken by Russian authorities and placed in an orphanage. It was called Madame B's Orphanage for Girls. The person in charge was Madame B. It was an awful place. There were girls of all ages from newborn to 18. We all had to learn a lot of languages, among those English, and ballet. That was the only good part. The rest was awful. We were mistreated. We were taught to defend ourselves against everyone and everything. We couldn't show our emotions because they were considered a weakness. Then, when I turned 16, I was raped. There was an orphanage for boys that was a partner to the orphanage I was in. The owner was named Ivan. Madame B and he organized that I would marry one of the boys in the orphanage. They didn't tell me anything, but they did tell the guy I was going to marry. His name was Alexei Shostakov. One day, the boys from the orphanage came to ours for a 'party.' Alexei looked for me and befriended me, but sometime after getting to know each other he forced me to go into a room with him. He locked the door and tied me so that I wouldn't get out or fight back. That's when I found out through him that we were going to marry each other. I didn't believe him. Anyways, that day, he raped me. We got married two years later against my will, and we moved to the States. When we got to California, he got himself involved in buying and selling drugs. He would also use them. We were gradually moving over to New York. In each place, he used me as a sex object. Basically, he let other men sleep with me so that he could get what he wanted from them. I didn't want to, but he forced me. I was shown not to show my emotions, so I couldn't show my fear. When we got to New York, I met a man who became my friend. After some time, I told him what Alexei was doing. He told me he could help, that he had a friend who worked in the police department. I refused his help because I was afraid, but he followed me. One day, he saw everything with his own eyes, so he called the police. They locked Alexei in jail and gave me support. My friend, well, he didn't keep in touch. Recently he texted me and we caught up. Now, I can't go out on my own unless I tell the police who helped me or they're with me. Alexei has been in jail for about a year now, and he has to serve 10 years. You know the rest," Natasha concluded.

“I’m so sorry you went through all of that. No woman deserves that kind of life. Now, my problems seem miniscule compared to yours.”

Natasha shrugged. “I guess everyone goes through some suffering in life. Some people more than others, but you learn to live with it. Even though I didn’t want help, I got it, and I’m glad I did. Who knows where I’d be today.”

“One thing is for sure, we wouldn’t have met. We wouldn’t be having this conversation. You’ve really changed Livy’s life. She smiles more and more each day. Growing up without a mom is hard for her. She’s a girl. She needs a mom.”

“That’s why you moved on,” observed Natasha.

“I haven’t really,” Steve answered. He had a hint of sadness behind his voice.

“What do you mean? You’re dating. I still don’t have the courage to date because I’m afraid I’ll get hurt; therefore, I haven’t moved on.”

“I only started dating for Livy’s sake. I don’t want her to grow up without a mother. I mean, I don’t know a single thing about the changes in a girl’s body as she grows up. I’d be lost when that time comes if she doesn’t have a mother. Because of that, I started dating Sharon. She was one of Peggy’s friends while I was in the army. At Peg’s funeral, she told me that if I ever needed help she would gladly help out. I refused help the first couple of months. After some time, we started hanging out, and we ended up dating. But I haven’t moved on. I have nightmares most every night about losing Peggy, and I can’t do anything to help. She was my first love, the right partner. She was a strong woman. When she set her mind to do something, she’d do it no matter how hard or how long it took. I don’t think I’ll ever find someone like her again, or someone that makes me feel the way she did. I know Sharon doesn’t, but if marrying her means Livy will get a mother, I’ll do it. I’d rather Livy have a normal life with a mom than me finding the kind of love I shared with Peggy because I may never find that.”

Natasha couldn’t believe this man. He was willing to sacrifice his desires for Livy’s own good. He was as selfless as selfless people get. “I’ve never heard anyone say that before. Most people now a day only think of themselves, but you are different. It takes a lot of courage to do what you’re doing.”

“That’s just what my ma showed me. And I know that in time, you’ll be able to move on and find someone that will treat you with respect, love, and care. You shouldn’t be afraid to open up. Not everyone is like that Alexei guy. Just give someone a chance. You know, Bruce, the guy you ate dinner with, he deserves a win as well. He’s a good man. Consider him.”

“I’m not exactly sure about that. I know he’s nice and all, but I don’t think so.”

“Right, you still need time.”

Steve was looking directly at Natasha. He started getting lost in her beautiful green orbs while Natasha was getting lost in the sea of Steve’s blue ones. Each one with their own thoughts of how strong the other one was, how much the other one had lost, yet they keep going on in life.

“Well, I’d better get going,” Natasha said when she realized she was getting too lost in the stare. She forced herself to tear her eyes away from the gaze. He had a girlfriend that, apparently, he was planning on marrying. She didn’t want to get in the way.

“Oh, I’m sorry for keeping you longer than you expected.”

“It’s all right. I was the one who started that conversation.” She got up from the couch and picked up her empty water glass. “Where can I put this glass?”

“Leave it right there. I’ll take care of it.”

She set the glass back on the table. “So please consider my offer to give Livy private ballet classes. It would benefit her greatly.”

“Of course. I’ll think about it. Um, when do you want to get together to go over the details of your poster?”

“It would have to be a Saturday. Let me check my calendar, and I’ll get back to you on that. Thank you for your willingness to help me with that. You’re a lifesaver.”

Steve laughed. “I’m not sure that I’m a lifesaver, but I like to help those who need it.”

Natasha and Steve walked to the door which Steve opened up. “Tell Livy I said hello.”

“I will. Right now, she’s with all her aunts at the mall. I’m kind of scared because I have no clue how much stuff she’ll be bringing back.”

“Women love to shop, so I bet she will come back with quite a few bags.”

“Thanks for listening to my story. It’s not easy for me to talk about that, and I guess it was time to get it off my chest,” Steve genuinely said.

“I should be thanking you. Hearing your story gave me the courage to open up. Other than the police, I haven’t told anyone my story. Now, I’ve told you. And all the nice words of encouragement, no one has told me any of that before. Thank you.”

“It was no problem.” Steve smiled at her which caused Natasha to get lost in his smile and his eyes again. It wasn’t too many times he’d seen him smile without all the pain and sadness in his eyes. She didn’t realize that she returned the smile.

Steve was just as lost as Natasha. This was the first time he’d seen her smile genuinely which caused her eyes to smile as well. Before any of the two knew it, they were already leaning in towards each other, darting their eyes between each other’s lips and eyes. The space was almost closed between them, their lips almost touching, their heart beats racing.

“Hey, Steve! Hello, Natasha! Didn’t know you’d be here!”

They quickly stepped back from each other. Steve was blushing hard, and Natasha was drowning in embarrassment. They turned towards the voice and saw Wanda unbuckling Livy’s car seat.

“Hi, Wanda! Yeah, I was here talking about a ballet class offer to Steve,” Natasha explained nonchalantly. “I was just leaving.”

Steve just stood there awkwardly. He had completely lost his voice and knew that if he were to talk, he would start stuttering.

“That’s too bad you’re leaving! We’ll have to catch up soon.”

“Yeah, text me when you’re available.” Natasha turned to Steve. “Thank you for listening to me, Steve. We had a nice chat. I’ll see you Monday.”

“Yeah, s-see you M-Monday,” he stuttered.

Natasha laughed. “You look cute blushing and stuttering,” she whispered flirtatiously. With that she went to her car and drove away.

“Steve! Get over here and help me with your daughter! She’s asleep in her car seat,” Wanda called out.

Steve regained his composure and went to help. “Hey, Sis. How did it go?”

“Don’t ‘Hey, Sis,’ me. What was that all about, Brother?” She raised her eyebrow.

“I-I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Steve started to blush again.

“Don’t play dumb with me.  I saw what was about to happen. What did you guys talk about? Because I know a ballet class offer wouldn’t have that effect.”

Steve stayed silent. He picked Livy up and headed back to his house to lay Livy down on the bed. Seeing Steve walk away, Wanda grabbed the bags with Livy’s new clothes and toys and rushed towards Steve. “I’m not leaving without an explanation. You may be older than me, and I may just be your adopted sibling, but you will tell me what happened,” demanded Wanda.

Steve sighed. “I know you want to know, but outside isn’t the place to talk. Besides, I need to put Livy in her room first. I’ll tell you everything I want you to know, I promise.”

With that, Steve made his way up the stairs to Livy’s room leaving Wanda in the living room with all the bags. Having a curiosity as strong as she did, she couldn’t help but wonder what went on. They almost kissed for crying out loud! If she would have gotten back a little bit later, she was sure that she would have caught them kissing. But what about Sharon? She knew he hadn’t broken up with her yet. If Steve was starting to feel things for Natasha, things could go south pretty quickly if he doesn’t break up with Sharon, and she found out about what was happening. Wanda shuddered at that thought. Yes, her plan at the restaurant worked, but she didn’t want this to happen so quickly, especially with Steve not breaking up with Sharon yet. She needed to know what had spurred the almost kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I finally put some Romanogers in it. It was about time.


	21. Chapter 19

When Steve entered the living room, Wanda was sitting comfortably on one of the couches scrolling through her phone. “So, you want something to drink?”

“No, thank you, I’m fine.” Wanda finished scrolling through her phone and put it away. She started staring at Steve.

“What? Do I have something on my face?” Steve inquired after he realized she was staring at him.

“No. Actually, you do, but everyone has two eyes, a nose, and a mouth.”

“Haha, very funny,” said Steve with sarcasm. “Why were you staring at me?”

“I’m waiting for your explanation, but I was also observing you.”

“What is there to observe?”

“What is there not to observe? For one, you usually sit on the couch upon entering the living room, and this time you didn’t. Instead, you’re standing, hands in pocket, head slightly down with a mixture of happiness and regret in your eyes,” she answered professionally.

Steve was taken aback. “How did you-”

“Oh, Steve,” interrupted Wanda, “I’m your sister. I’ve seen all of your expressions and know your habits. So, I think you’d better get whatever is bothering you out in the open. You’ll feel better.”

Steve walked towards the couch and sat down. “What do you want to know?”

“I want to know everything, but you told me you’d only tell what you want me to know. I suggest you start by telling me why Natasha was here in the first place.”

“Nata-” Steve stopped when he saw Wanda smirking and raising her eyebrows at him. He realized he was going to say "Natasha". “ _Miss Romanoff_ ,” Steve started again making sure to emphasize the name, “was here to talk about private ballet lessons for Livy once Livy starts school.”

Seeing that Steve wasn’t going to keep going, Wanda prodded, “And then?”

“Well, she saw my paintings and asked if I can design a poster for the ballet performance that they’re going to have at the end of the course.”

Again, Steve stopped causing Wanda to become impatient. “I know that’s not it, so keep talking.”

“After we talked about all that, she asked me about the picture on the side table, so I told her my story with Peggy. Then she told me her story. I guess it was the whole story because she started it from when she was a young girl. After that, I’m not sure what happened.”

Wanda couldn’t believe that Steve actually told someone about Peggy. “Wait, wait, wait. You told someone about Peggy?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Steve, that’s wonderful! You finally talked about her after so long! What made you do it?” Wanda was sitting at the edge of the couch eager to hear his answer.

Steve pondered a little before answering. “I’m not sure. I guess it just felt right.”

“I see. Anyways, moving on, so she told you her story. What then?”

“Then…I’m sorry, Wanda, it’s too embarrassing. I really don’t know what happened.” Steve looked down as if he were ashamed.

“Did you guys kiss?” Wanda asked in a whisper.

“No! Of course not!”

“Then why is it embarrassing?” Wanda smirked.

“Fine, I’ll tell you. We-we-wegazedintoeachother’seyes,” Steve mumbled rapidly.

“What did you say? I didn’t understand you.”

“I said, ‘we gazed into each other’s eyes,’” Steve pronounced each word clearly. “Happy now?”

Wanda was internally squealing with joy, but on the outside, she kept calm. “Really? For how long?”

“I’m not sure, but I think she broke the gaze and said she was going to leave. I accompanied her to the door, and I got lost in her smile. Before I knew it, we were leaning towards each other. My head was screaming, ‘Don’t do it! It’s not right!’ while in my heart, it felt that I was doing the right thing. You know the rest,” Steve concluded. His cheeks had a light tint of red as he remembered what had happened earlier in the day.

“So, how do you feel about it now that you’re thinking back on that?” Wanda couldn’t help but ask.

“I feel confused and angry.”

“Why do you feel angry?”

“I’m angry at myself because I have a girlfriend already, and I almost cheated on her today. Before you ask why I feel confused, I’ll answer that. I feel confused because it felt like it was the right thing to do. I’ve never been able to relive the day Peggy died and the days following that day, but telling Nata-Miss Romanoff about it made me feel relieved. It was so simple.”

“Okay, I get it, Steve. My last question is since when do you harbor feelings for Natasha?”

“I-I never said I have feelings for her,” Steve nervously replied.

Wanda laughed. “You’re still as naïve as can be. I see it with my own eyes, Steve. You’re a blushing mess right now. I saw how you were staring at Natasha right now in the doorway. That look was a look exclusively for Peggy. I saw the drawing you drew of her. You’ve only ever drawn Peggy. I haven’t seen a single drawing of Sharon, and now you have one of Natasha. You drew her with such preciseness. And you’re going to tell me you don’t have feelings for her when it’s evident that you do?”

“Hold on. How did you know I drew Natasha?”

Wanda noticed that Steve used her first name, but decided not to comment. “Um, Stark showed it to me.” She then realized that she was so focused on Steve’s slip up that she didn’t think of her answer first.

“Stark showed you the picture? When?”

“That isn’t important right now. Stop avoiding the question. Since when do you have feelings for Natasha?”

“Do I really have to answer that question?” Steve whined.

“Yes, you do,” said Wanda authoritatively.

“Ugh, fine. Since I first saw her,” confessed Steve.

“Aww, so it was love at first sight,” Wanda dreamily said.

“No, Wanda, it was not love. She’s just a beautiful lady who happens to be Livy’s ballet teacher. I’m not going to break up with Sharon to date someone I hardly know. Besides, I already made the choice to propose to Sharon which I’m pretty sure Bucky already told you about that. Nothing, and I mean nothing, is going to change my mind,” Steve confidently said.

“Mark my words, Steve. You may say that absolutely nothing will change your mind, but if you two aren’t meant to be together, you will change your mind. Plain and simple. Besides that, Maggie has a say in the decision too. If she doesn’t want Sharon to be her new mom and you foolishly marry her, Maggie will be miserable for the rest of her life. I suggest you talk to Maggie about how she really feels about Sharon, but you make sure she doesn’t hide anything. I know how she feels because she tells me, but it’s not my place to tell you myself. You need to be careful that you don’t ruin her life because if you do, she’ll hate you forever.” With that speech out of the way, Wanda got up and left Steve alone with his thoughts. Finally, she had the guts to voice the harsh truth to Steve, and she was hoping that he would listen. She cared too much for both Steve and Livy to see their lives get ruined.

* * *

 

Once Natasha got into her car after leaving Steve at the front door, she immediately called Clint. She needed to talk to someone about what just happened. She asked him to meet her at their regular Starbucks even though she would have preferred a bar. Since Clint would have to go to work the next day, she didn’t want him to drink too much and get a hangover. She would have some Vodka later on.

Just as soon as Natasha got there she ordered a double Espresso and found an empty table. She was going over her schedule for the next week while waiting for Clint to arrive.

“Hey, Nat! How ya doin’?” asked Clint upon his arrival.

“As good as can be expected. How ‘bout you? Did I interrupt you from something?”

“I would be great if I didn’t get called into work on my day off. You see, it was my day off today, but the station stumbled upon a case which required my expertise, so they had no option but to call me.”

“Oh, wow! I wonder how the police station ever functioned before you started working there,” said Natasha sarcastically.

“I know right.”

Natasha rolled her eyes. “Anyway, I’m sorry for interrupting your investigation.”

“No need to apologize. I had just hit a dead end when you called, and I needed to step out for a break to clear my mind. Technically, you didn’t interrupt anything.” Clint smiled.

“Well, I’m not sure if you’re going to leave with a clear mind,” Nat said in a serious tone which caught Clint’s attention.

Clint’s face immediately radiated concern. “What happened? Did someone try to hurt you? Take advantage of you? Rob you? Threaten you?”

“Slow down, Clint. I know you’re concerned. but it’s not what you think it is. Just let me explain.”

“I’m sorry. Go ahead, and tell me what’s wrong.”

Natasha sipped her coffee and took a deep breath. “So there’s a young girl in my ballet class that has potential, and I went to visit her dad today to offer private classes once the girl starts kindergarten.” She paused for a moment to gather her thoughts, and Clint took the opportunity to ask her a question.

“That’s a great thing you did. I don’t see what’s wrong with that.”

“The problem is that this man is-how can I describe him?-he’s like this overly handsome man. His body build is perfect. He has these gorgeous ocean blue eyes.” Natasha sighed dreamily. Clint gave her a confused look. “Anyway, ever since I’ve met him, he was a mystery to me. I mean, he always had sadness behind those blue eyes of his. His smile would also be sad, but of course, he tried to hide it as best as he could. Also, his wife would never come around to pick up the girl; it would always be the girl’s father. So, when I met up with Bruce last week, I saw him in the same restaurant we were in. He was dining with a beautiful blonde lady. I assumed it was his wife, but it turns out to his girlfriend. I left the restaurant thinking that the girl was her daughter. Today, he told me his story. Actually, I kind of asked about a picture frame he had. In the picture was a gorgeous brunette holding a baby and the girl’s father. I asked him about it obviously not thinking that it could disturb his privacy. He was very opened about it. I found out that the lady he was dining with was not the girl’s mother.” She stopped again to take another sip of her coffee.

“I still don’t see the problem.” Clint was clearly perplexed.

“Well, that’s not the problem. Ever since I met the man, I felt attracted to him, but I pushed those thoughts away because I assumed he was married. I mean, why would a handsome, perfect man like him be single? And he has a daughter. So, after he told me his story, he asked me about mine. You know as well as anyone that I don’t like sharing it. But with this guy, I felt like I could tell him anything, so I went ahead. At the end, well, we started staring at each other until I broke it. I excused it by saying I had to leave, so he walked me to the door. I don’t remember what he told me, but I know that he smiled. However, this smile was genuine. There was no pain or sadness. He looked truly happy. I got lost in that smile, and before I knew it, we were leaning into each other, our eyes darting back and forth from our lips to our eyes and back again. If it weren’t for his sister arriving at that precise moment, I’m pretty sure we would have kissed. There, that is the problem.”

“Ok, let me get this straight. There’s this guy whose daughter attends your ballet classes. You went to his house for an offer, exchange life stories, and almost kiss. Where’s the catch in all of that?”

Natasha let out a frustrated sigh. “Really, Clint? I was about to kiss a man that has a girlfriend, who has all the intention of marrying, at a time that we were both most vulnerable! The catch is that it felt like it was the right thing to do even though I know that he would be cheating on his girlfriend. I let my vulnerability show. I never ever do that! I don’t know how I’m ever going to face him again.” Natasha buried her head in her hands.

Clint didn’t know what to say or do. He didn’t know if she wanted him to comfort her or to lecture her. “Tasha, I know it’s hard to open up to someone like that, but what if opening up to him helps you open up to others?”

“No, Clint. I don’t want to go through the same thing I went through with Alexei again. I can’t live that way.”

“I understand, Tasha. You don’t want to get hurt again, right?”

“Exactly. I can’t open up myself again with someone who is still practically a stranger. I-I don’t even know why I did in the first place.”

“You said it yourself, it felt like the right thing to do. Look, I know this man has a girlfriend, but what if you two are meant to be together instead of his current girlfriend and him? Everything will work out.”

“But what if it’s not meant to be. I have to deal with the heartache of my feelings that I let surface. Now I know why Madame B always told us that love is for children. It’s too complicated and hurtful.”

“How about you talk to Laura about this. She’ll be able to understand you better because she’s a lady like you. I’m not very good with this type of stuff. Laura would be more than happy to help you out,” suggested Clint.

“Thanks for the offer, but I think it would be better to just bury this in the past and never think or talk about it again,” Natasha declined.

“Whatever makes you feel more comfortable. Just so you know, the offer will stay open if you change your mind.” Clint looked at his watch. “Well, I’m going to go order a coffee, and I’ll be on my way back to work. If you need anything, give Maria or me a call.”

“Thanks, Clint, for taking the time off to listen to me,” she thanked.

“Tasha, you’re like a little sister to me. I’ll always lend you a listening ear when you need one. Even if I am busy, I’ll make time for you. You should know that by now.”

“Yes, I do know that.” Natasha and Clint both stood up and gave each other a hug.

“Take care, Nat.”

“I will. You too. Make sure you focus on that case. We wouldn’t want the detective with all the expertise to fail, now would we?” Natasha smirked.

“Oh, no, we wouldn’t want that to happen.” Clint smiled at her before heading up to order his coffee.

Natasha stayed sitting at the table and finished her coffee before heading home. She didn’t know what would happen next, but hopefully, things wouldn’t be awkward between Steve and her. She knew that they could become great friends as long as they put the incident of the day behind them. But would it be so easy to bury that memory and those feelings, and pretend nothing happened?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter was supposed to go up yesterday, but I finished it kind of late last night. (I got side-tracked with Chris and Scarlett's ET interview. If you haven't watched it yet, you should.) It was time for me to go to bed when I finished it, so I decided to post it this morning. Better late than never, right?


	22. Chapter 20

The one and only Tony Stark called a meeting at Stark Tower the next Friday. He said they all needed to plan Fourth of July. Steve was dreading the meeting because somehow Tony’s Fourth of July celebrations always end up being his birthday celebration. Now don’t get it wrong, he didn’t mind celebrating his birthday, but he preferred a quiet party, not a party with a whole bunch of important people he didn’t know. Nonetheless, he had to go to that meeting to try to tell Tony once again not to include his birthday in the party. The good thing was that he didn’t have to be there the whole time. Saturday was going to be a busy day for him. Sharon and he planned to go to the Children’s Museum of the Arts with Livy. They were going to attend the Saturday Family Studio, so they had to arrive before 10 A.M. In the afternoon, while Livy spent time with Sam, he was going to meet Natasha in Starbucks to discuss designs for the posters that she wants.

Steve and Livy were the last ones to arrive at the Tower. Because they were watching a movie while eating their dinner, Steve lost track of time. 

“There’s Captain Spangles with his adorable munchkin!” Tony exclaimed when they walked in.

Steve got a little irritated at the nickname. Stark gave him that nickname ever since he became Captain in the army. He had explained that he was now a Captain and was born the Fourth of July. What better nickname was there for him? The good thing is that Tony only called him that around his birthday.

“Where’s Cooper and Lila?” Livy asked Laura as soon as Stark announced their arrival.

“They’re playing in the playroom.”

“Thanks!” With that, she turned on her heel and was about to run to find them, but an arm grabbed her shoulder.

“Not so fast, young lady,” Steve said. “You haven’t greeted anyone here yet. Go say hello to everybody, then you can go play.”

“But, Daddy,” she whined.

“No buts. Do as I say,” Steve said in a sterner voice.

“Ok.” Livy quickly greeted everyone and soon ran off.

“Now, that the Cap is here, let’s begin the party planning!” Tony shouted with enthusiasm.

“Wait, Stark, let me get a drink first. I think I’ll need it.” Steve sauntered off to the bar to serve himself some whiskey.

“You can hear what I’m saying from there. So, I was thinking we should do a-wait for it-A FOURTH OF JULY GALA!”

Groans were heard all over the room. “Can’t you do something simple this year?” Sam asked.

“Yeah, why do we have to do something big every year? It gets kind of boring,” Pietro added.

“I know! Cook-out at my house!” Clint suggested. “We can grill some hot dogs and hamburgers, maybe have some ribs. Laura can make her delicious strawberry shortcake, and we’ll have ice cream. At night, we can set off fireworks in my backyard.”

Tony looked at them with disgust. “You guys don’t know how to party. It’s Fourth of July, Independence Day, America’s birthday. Oh, if I might add, it’s also Steveo’s birthday. We need to go all big.”

“Stark, we are not mixing in my birthday with your Fourth of July celebration again. If you do, I’m not coming. Nope. Livy and I will have to make our own plans with Sharon,” stated Steve.

“Gosh, old man, you don’t know how to have fun. But if it makes you come, I won’t mix in your birthday celebration with my party.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.” Unbeknownst to Steve, Tony had his fingers crossed behind his back.

 “You know what,” Wanda spoke up, “as much as I hate agreeing with Stark, I agree with his idea this time.”

“Did Wanda just agree with me? I can die in peace now!”

“Wait a minute, Wanda, you aren’t serious, right?” Buck asked her.

“Yes, I’m dead serious. I think it will be fun. I mean, we could have a fun time dancing. Hire an orchestra to play the music. I think it could be fun. At the end, after everyone is gone, we can go to the roof and launch fireworks.” Everyone looked at Wanda in disbelief. “Oh, come on. We could have like a buffet and have all the traditional food plus sophisticated food, as Stark would put it, for those people who come and don’t like greasy food.”

Being Wanda’s twin, Pietro had an idea where she was going with that idea. “I think that’s a good idea, Wanda.”

“Not you too!” Bruce exclaimed.

“Come on. Why do you all have trouble agreeing with my ideas?” Stark asked.

“Because they always go overboard,” Jane responded for everyone.

“Pepper, please say you agree,” Tony begged.

“What I see here is that we need a balance point where everyone will agree,” Pepper pointed out instead of answering Tony. “So, if this is going to be a gala, it will be done at night. You all have the whole day to do something with your families before attending the gala. Then the gala will be something extra. Of course, if you don’t want to come, you don’t come, but it would be nice to do that.”

“Well, if Pepper agrees, I agree too,” Darcy commented. “And Jane, you’d better agree because a party is pretty boring without you.”

“I agree if Thor agrees,” Jane answered, internally hoping Thor wouldn’t agree.

“You know, I have surely missed Anthony’s parties. I rather enjoy them. I’m in.”

Tony’s smile started to broaden, “What about you, Bruce? You know that if you don’t come, the science bros. won’t be complete.”

Bruce sighed, “I’ll come, but I’m going to keep a low profile.”

“That’s my man! What about you, Bucky?”

“Please come, Bucky. I don’t know how I’ll get through the night without someone interesting to talk to,” Wanda pleaded.

“I guess I’ll come. Hate to pass an invite from a beautiful dame,” he flirted. That comment earned whistles from Stark and Sam and raised eyebrows from Steve. “But, Sam, you’re coming too. You can’t say no.”

“Come on, Man, that’s pure torture!”

“Allison? You approve with the idea, right?” Stark asked her.

“Of course, I am! Pietro approves, so that means I do too.”

“Clint? Laura?”

“I think we’ll pass this one, Stark. We don’t have anyone to take care of the kids this time,” Laura explained.

“Oh, come on! You know that they can stay in the playroom. There are even beds in there, so they can fall asleep when they get sleepy. They won’t even need to come out. The bathroom’s in there. Jarvis can let us know if there is a problem,” pointed out Tony.

“In short,” Pepper put in, “he won’t let you not come.”

“Fine, fine, fine, we’ll come. But if I go to work the next day with a major hangover, it’s all on you,” Clint warned Tony.

“Yeah, whatever. Now,” he said turning to Steve, “all we need is a confirmation from the old man over there.”

Everyone turned to Steve and awaited his answer. “Look, Stark, I would much rather do something much quieter, much more intimate.”

“Oh, I understand, you already have plans with Sharon. All right, you can go on ahead with your plans; I won’t be the one to stop you,” Tony remarked.

“That’s not what I meant! I would like to celebrate just us. I mean, what’s wrong with old friends hanging out together. Why do your parties always have to include unknown people?”

“First of all, that’s what a party pooper looks like. Second of all, they’re not unknown people; they’re actually some of the most distinguished people in New York. Third of all, might I remind you good things can come out of my parties?”

Steve opened his mouth to protest, but Stark cut him off, “No, I don’t want to hear anymore your pathetic excuses. You and Sharon are coming and that’s final. I know she’ll have a wonderful time.”

“Thanks for making the decision for me,” Steve sarcastically said.

“Thank me after the party, Cap.”

Pepper took control after that starting with the menu. Like Wanda said, it would be buffet style, so everything would be set out on the tables. The menu was quickly agreed on. It would consist of the traditional hamburgers and hot dogs but would also include seafood and salads for those guests of the higher class that Tony would be inviting. The dessert was the one thing that was debated most, but Laura stepped in and offered to make the dessert to which everyone agreed on. Laura was a great baker.

After that was settled, they started debating on whether they hire an orchestra or have a DJ. Tony, of course opted on the DJ, saying it wouldn’t be a Stark Industries party without it. Not everyone agreed with his reasoning, but they decided to please nonetheless.

Once those two things were settled, Steve didn’t feel the need to be there anymore. Besides, he needed to be getting home. “Since my presence is clearly no longer required, Livy and I will be heading home now.” He got up from his seat and started heading towards the playroom.

“Steve! Don’t go! We want you to stay,” Tony whined.

“Sorry, Stark, but Livy and I have a busy day tomorrow, and we need to rest.”

“What does your busy day include?” Clint asked.

“Why do you need to know?”

“Curiosity.”

“Ugh, really? I’m not sharing my day with you all.” He walked down the hall blocking out all of the protests.

When he came back with Livy, they decided to ask her knowing she wouldn’t keep anything from them. “Hey, Pumpkin, before you leave, can you tell us what your dad and you are doing tomorrow?” asked Sam since he was the one elected to ask.

Steve shot Sam a disapproving look. “Livy, don’t answer that. It’s late, and we have to get home.”

Livy ignored what Steve told her because she wanted to share. “We’re going to go to the art museum for kids in the morning with Miss Sharon. In the afternoon, Dad’s going to go drink coffee with Miss Nat, and I’m going to go stay with, she paused and looked up at Steve. “Who am I staying with?”

“Uh, you’re going to stay with,” he looked around the room. “I’m not exactly sure.”

“Who’s ‘I’m not exactly sure’? Is it a friend of yours, and you haven’t cared to introduced us to him. Or is it a she?” joked Tony.

“I can watch her while you go on your date,” Sam offered.

“It’s not a date. It’s a business meeting,” Steve countered.

“Whatever you say, man, but it sounds like a date. So, are you going to let me watch pumpkin over here?”

“Yes, you can watch her. I’ll drop her off at your house quarter ‘til two. Now, if you all will excuse us, we need to get going. Have a little bit of a drive.”

“Good night, Steve!” Wanda told him. “Please say hello to Natasha for me!”

Once Steve was gone, Wanda congratulated, “You all did a wonderful job on your parts! I am 100% sure he bought it!”

“Thank you, thank you! Whenever you need someone to act in a movie, I’m your guy due to my impeccable performance!” Tony gloated.

Wanda rolled her eyes. “Anyway, let’s finish the planning.”

Tony saw this as his cue to take over the conversation. “So, you guys know how we couldn’t decide what desserts to have? There is no need to worry about that anymore. I’m happily announcing that it’s all taken care of!”

“We know that, Tony. I’m in charge of the dessert. Didn’t you hear that part, or did you zone out for a little bit?” Laura asked him.

“I heard, but I’m not referring to that. Don’t get this wrong. You can still bring desserts because they are so delicious. This dessert I’m talking about will be the main one.”

Bucky started to catch on to what Stark was talking about. “No, Tony, that’s not a good idea,” he interjected.

“Look at this, I haven’t even voiced my idea, and he’s already protesting!”

“Because I know what you have in mind.”

“If you’re so smart, why don’t you enlighten everyone else on _MY_ idea?”

“I would love to, but since it’s _YOUR_ idea, I’ll let you do the honors,” he shot back.

“I knew you weren’t going to do it. So, I’m going to order a birthday cake for Steve and put 23 candles on it. It’s going to say, “Happy Birthday, Captain Steven Grant Rogers. What do you guys think?”

Immediately, Clint voiced his opinion. “I think it’s a horrible idea.”

“Yeah, man. You promised him you weren’t going to mix in his birthday this time,” reminded Sam.

“About that, I had my fingers crossed, so I technically didn’t promise anything.”

“Sorry guys, but he’s telling the truth,” Pepper confirmed.

“Moving on,” said Wanda before anyone else said anything, “Bruce, you are going to invite Natasha.”

“What? I-I-I can’t invite her,” stuttered Bruce.

“Why not?”

I was planning on inviting Betty.”

Silence overcame the group. He hadn’t mentioned Betty for a number of months, so everyone was surprised when he brought her up.

Seeing that everyone was speechless, he continued. “When Betty and I were still together, Natasha had the pleasure of meeting her, so when I had dinner with Tasha, she asked me about Betty. I explained the situation, and she offered to help me. Thanks to her, I’ve been able to talk to Betty. Before anyone asks, no, her father doesn’t know yet.”

“Well, he soon will. I’m going to invite both General Ross and Betty. Do as Wanda says,” instructed Tony.

“But-”

“I know what you’re thinking. You won’t be able to dance with her. I have a solution for that.”

“Let’s hear it,” Pietro prodded.

“I honestly saw it in a movie, and I thought it would be cool to do. I feel there is no better time to do it than now. We all want Steve and Natasha to dance together, right?”

“Stark, that would be very nice but impossible,” pointed out Wanda.

“No, not impossible. That’s where my idea comes in. I will announce sometime during the gala that we will be doing something new. That something new is that everyone has to dance with someone they didn’t come with. Bruce, that’s when you can dance with Betty. Thor, you’ll whisk Sharon away. If everything goes according to plan, Steve will ask Natasha to dance. If he doesn’t, I need you, Bucky, to urge him to ask her to dance. If you have to tell him that you’ll dance with her if he doesn’t, then say that too. That will spur him to invite her to dance. Hopefully, all goes well. Thor, try to keep Sharon from searching out Steve because I know that she gets pretty jealous when it comes to other women being around and touching Steve.”

“I know what movie you’re talking about! You are doing something like in the movie Enchanted, right?” Darcy piped up.

“Exactly! Glad you understood the reference.”

“I think that’s an absolutely splendid idea, Tony! Now, I can hardly wait for the 4th of July!” Wanda squealed with excitement.

“Please tell me someone is recording this. She’s actually agreeing to one of my ideas, and this time it’s for real!”

“It’s all settled. Bruce, when you invite Natasha, tell her that I’ll help her with her dress if she doesn’t have one,” Wanda continued.

“Will do.”

“Oh my goodness, I’m so excited!”

From there everyone started to leave, well, to be accurate, those who had to go to work the next day started to leave. The rest stayed a while longer. Wanda was busy thinking about the celebration. She couldn’t wait for it. She usually didn’t enjoy Stark’s parties, but this one was going to be different in a way. Hopefully, this little plan worked. She had a little bit of doubt that it would because this time, Sharon was going to see them together. This plan could very well backfire on them. She shuddered at the thought. She shook the thoughts from her head and decided to think about the positive things that could happen at that celebration that was just around the corner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I have no idea what month I am in the timeline, but I think it's about time to write about the 4th of July and Steve's birthday. As previously mentioned, I got that last idea from Enchanted. While I was barely beginning to write this story, I watched that movie, and I got the idea, so this is something I've had in my head for a while.
> 
> Next chapter will have to do with Steve's plans the next day.


	23. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More Romanogers!!!

* * *

The next morning, Steve and Livy were just about to head out the door to pick up Sharon when Steve’s phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and noticed it was Sharon, so he answered it.

“Hey, Sharon. What’s up?”

**“Hey, Babe! I’m calling to let you know that I won’t be able to go to the children’s art museum. I just got an e-mail that I have to come into work. Maybe we can reschedule?”**

Steve’s temper began to rise, but he forced himself to keep calm. ”I’m so sorry to hear that. Um, about rescheduling, I don’t think that is possible. I already paid the entrances, so I’m just gonna go ahead with Livy. Thanks for letting me know.”

 **“I’m deeply sorry that I won’t be able to go. I was looking forward to spending time with you. And Livy,”** she added as if it were an afterthought.

“Yeah, I was looking forward to seeing you spending time with Livy. I guess we’ll have to plan something else for another time.”

**“Thanks for being so understanding. I don’t know how I became so lucky to find a guy like you.”**

Steve scoffed silently. “Well, I’d better leave you to your work.”

**“Oh, yeah. I’ll see you soon!”**

Steve hung up and sighed. He now had an extra pass that would go to waste unless he could think of someone to invite on such short notice.

“Daddy, are we leaving now?”

 Steve looked down to see Livy looking at him with wide innocent eyes. He knew he had to tell her that Sharon was not going to join them. “Princess, Sharon isn’t going to be coming with us. She has to go to work, so it’ll be just us two.” Livy scowled which Steve interpreted as disappointment. “I know how much you were looking forward to spending time with her. I’m sorry that it won’t happen. But we’ll have just as much fun.”

Livy’s face brightened. “Yeah! We’ll have much more fun! Let’s invite Miss Nat to come with us.”

Steve was surprised that Livy suggested it. “Uh, um, uh, I don’t think that’s a very good idea. It’s such short notice. I think we should go alone.”

“Please, Daddy! I want Miss Nat to come with us.” Livy looked at him with her adorable puppy eyes and with her bottom lip hanging out. “Pretty please?”

“Look, I’ll call her and see if she can come, but don’t get disappointed if she can’t because I’m sure she must have other plans this morning.”

Livy nodded understandingly. She watched Steve scroll through his contacts until he stopped at Natasha’s and dialed it. The phone rang one, two, three times before she answered.

 **“Hello?”** Natasha’s angelic voice sounded through the phone. Steve got lost in that voice. He could listen to it all day. **“Hello? Is anyone there because I swear if this is a joke, I’m going to sue.”**

That snapped Steve out of his reverie. “Good morning, Natasha. It’s me, Steve.”

**“Oh, hi, Steve! I forgot to look at the ID before I answered the phone, so you gave me quite a scare when you didn’t answer at first.”**

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

**“Don’t sweat about it. So, is there something I can do for you, or are you calling to change our afternoon plans?”**

“Hehe, no.” Steve was struggling to keep his nerves in check. He didn’t get why he was so nervous. It wasn’t like he was going to ask her on a date. It was just an invitation to hang out with Livy.

**“So what is it?”**

“Livy was wondering if you would like to come with us to the Children’s Museum of the Arts today.”

**“I would love to! At what time?”**

“Yeah, about that. We have to be there at 10.”

**“I see. It’s a little tight, but I think I’ll be able to make it.”**

“If you want, I could pick you up that way you can focus on getting ready right now.”

**“You really don’t have to. I can drive myself.”**

“I insist. Look, if it makes you feel any better, you won’t even have to return home after the museum. I’ll just drop off Livy at her Uncle Sam’s house, and we can go for our coffee. “

**“Kill two birds with one stone, huh? I like that idea. All right then, you can come pick me up.”**

“Great! But I think I kind of need your address first.”

**“Oh, hehe, I forgot. I’ll text it to you.”**

“Ok. Well, I’ll see you in a bit.”

**“Can’t wait!”**

Livy saw Steve hung up and looked at him expectantly. “What did she say?”

“She said that she will come with us.”

“Yay!” Livy started jumping up and down in excitement.

“We’d better get going if we don’t want to be late,” Steve urged as he was looking up the address that Natasha had just sent him on Google Maps.

* * *

 

When Natasha hung up, she immediately ran to her closet to look for something to wear. She saw the outfit she had picked out the night before for her meeting with Steve, but now it didn’t seem to be appropriate. After looking through her closet for a good five minutes, she finally picked something to wear. Thankfully, she had showered the night before, so she didn’t need to worry about that. She quickly changed, applied her makeup, and did her hair. She looked in the full body mirror and was quite pleased with her appearance. Then a thought struck her. _“Why am I worrying about how nice I look. It’s not a date. We’re just going to hang out as friends. Besides, Livy invited me, not him.”_ The knock on her apartment door jolted her back to reality. She quickly gathered her purse and took out her keys. She opened the door and was immediately taken aback with Livy who squeezed her into a hug. She looked up at Steve, and he mouthed a sorry to her.

“Hi, Livy! It’s so good to see you. Thanks for inviting me!”

“I’m glad you’re coming. We’re going to have fun!”

“I’m sure we will. Let me lock up, and we can go.”

“Sure, we’ll be waiting by the stairs,” Steve informed.

She mentally face palmed herself because she didn’t even greet him. That was just rude of her. She quickly locked up and joined Steve and Livy to begin making their way to Steve’s car. “Um, I’m sorry, I didn’t say hello to you,” she told Steve.

“That’s ok,” he smiled at her.

She gave him a small smile back. That’s when she noticed how good he looked. He was wearing a blue button-down shirt that perfectly defined his muscles and jean pants. His hair was neatly combed in place. She was mesmerized by him.

She snapped out of her trance when she noticed they had arrived at his car. Being the gentleman that he was, he opened the car door for her. “Thank you,” she murmured. Once she got into the passenger’s seat, he closed the door for her as well. Then he buckled Livy into her car seat, and soon they were on their way to the museum.

Livy was chatting non-stop all the way to the museum. She was clearly excited that Natasha had come along. When her chatting stopped for a bit, Natasha asked, “So what exactly are we going to be doing?”

Steve glanced at her and answered. “I got a couple of spots for the Saturday Family Studio.”

“Oh?” she asked confused.

Steve realized why she was confused. “Uh, it’s just that, um, I, uh, got three passes so that Sharon could, uh, go along,” he nervously replied.

“Then why are you taking me instead of her?” she asked clearly bothered.

“Um, I know that it looks kind of bad, but, um, uh, she kind of, uh, canceled on us this morning. I had the extra pass, and Livy wanted you to come along.”

Natasha hummed in response. “As long as it doesn’t get awkward, then I don’t mind. I love spending time with Livy.”

He flashed her a smile which gave her butterflies. _“Romanoff, stop thinking and feeling things. He has a girlfriend. I’m just Livy’s teacher and apparently, her friend as well.”_

The rest of the ride was pretty quiet. Livy, the one who had done most of the talking, had fallen asleep, and Nat and Steve didn’t really know what to say to each other.

When they got to the museum, they were escorted to the room where the studio was going to take place. There, they were greeted by the teacher. “Good morning, family! It’s so exciting that you could join us! My name is Rosie, and I will be your teacher today. Can I please have your last name, sir? Oh, and your daughter’s name too please,” she cheerily said.

“My last name is Rogers, and my daughter’s name is Olivia.”

“Ok, great! If you please follow me, Mr. and Mrs. Rogers and Olivia, I will take you to your workstation now.”

Steve and Natasha gave each other a look when the teacher called Natasha ‘Mrs. Rogers.’ “Uh, my last name is not Rogers, Miss. It’s Romanoff,” she cleared up.

“Oh, I thought that you two were married. My bad. You two make a cute couple, though. I hope it works out.”

Embarrassed, Steve looked down to the floor to hide his blush. Natasha squirmed a little beside him. Livy was amused with all of it, but she kept quiet. She did think that the teacher was right.

The class was about media techniques. Steve, being a sort of expert already, let Natasha and Livy do most of the work, helping them out whenever they got stuck.

Time went flying by for all three of them. Steve couldn’t believe how quickly Natasha had gotten everything in the class. He was amazed by her skills. While they were walking to the car, he was about to congratulate her, but Livy spoke up first. “Daddy, I’m hungry.”

Steve looked at his watch to see the time. “I’m hungry too, Princess. Why don’t we go get a bite to eat before going to Uncle Sam’s house?”

“Can Miss Nat come too?”

“I don’t know. You’ll have to ask her.”

Livy turned to Natasha with hopeful eyes. “Can you have lunch with us?”

“Let me think,” Natasha said as she stroked her chin. “Yes, I can join you for lunch.”

“Yes! Let’s go to McDonald’s!”

“Are you ok with that?” Steve asked Natasha.

“Normally, I would say no since I have a diet to keep, but I think I can screw the diet for one day.”

“If you’re not fine with that, I’ll pick another one.”

“Steve, I said, I’m fine with it. Don’t worry. One day that I break my diet won’t do anything. Trust me.”

* * *

 

They had a pleasant lunch together full of laughter. Livy was kind of sad that she had to go to Sam’s house because she wanted to keep spending time with Natasha. But once they pulled into his driveway, all that was forgotten. Livy unbuckled herself from her car seat and opened the door just as soon as Steve parked the car. “Uncle Sam! We’re here! Come meet Miss Nat, my ballet teacher,” she announced.

Moments later, Sam opened the door to his house and made his way to the driveway. “Hey, Kiddo! Hey, Steve!” Seeing the redhead on Steve’s side, he continued, “And you must be Natasha. Livy talks about you a lot. You’ve really impacted her life.”

Natasha looked down and smiled slightly. “I’m glad I’m making a difference in her life.”

“Well, I’ll take this pretty girl off your hands, Steve, and you go enjoy your _date_.” He made sure to emphasize the word ‘date.’

“It’s not a date, Sam,” interjected Steve.

“Oh, right, let me rephrase that. You go enjoy your meeting.”

“Don’t do anything stupid with my girl,” he warned.

“You worry too much, Steve. Natasha, pleasure meeting you.”

“Likewise.”

Steve and Natasha got back into the car and started driving off to Starbucks. “I’m sorry about Sam. He can get carried away sometimes,” Steve apologized.

“That’s all right. I took him as a sarcastic kind of guy.”

“Thinking about it, he is a sarcastic guy sometimes.”

* * *

 

Once they were settled in a table for two in Starbucks with their coffees, Steve started the conversation. “So, before we discuss business, I’ve thought of you proposition of private ballet lessons for Livy.”

“Oh, you have? Well, let’s hear your decision.”

“I will let her have those private lessons. I know she loves being with you, and she loves ballet. I wouldn’t want to take that away from her once she starts kindergarten.”

“I’m glad you accepted. I promise you, you won’t regret this in the least.”

“I know. Now, what exactly do you have in mind for your poster?”

“Ok, I have the background picture on my phone which I’ll send to you, but for now, I’ll just show you it.” She searched for the photo in her phone gallery and passed Steve the phone once she found it.

“That’s a pretty picture. I’ll give you my e-mail address so that you can send it to me there.”

Natasha nodded. “I want it to have the name of the ballet school which is Russo-American Ballet School. Well, better said, I want it to say something like ‘The Russo-American Ballet School Present Swan Lake.’ It’ll, of course, have the details of when and where the event will take place. I also want it to say that it’s the first performance. I want the phone number of the school on it and the cost of admission for adults and children.”

The wheels in Steve’s brain were turning. “I think that on the poster we shouldn’t put all the details. I think we should just put the number on there and the website and different places you can buy tickets. On the fliers, we can include the rest of the information.”

“You know what, I like your idea better, but keep the picture the same for the fliers.”

“Wouldn’t dream of changing it. When do you want me to present the rough draft?”

“Um, I would like to see the finished product. I trust that we won’t need to change anything seeing your capabilities with the computer today. Can you have it done in two weeks?”

“Of course, I can. I can have it done in one. It’s really not that hard.”

“Let’s keep it at two just in case you can’t finish it in one. If you do, call me, and we can schedule another meeting.”

“That sounds fine with me.”

“One more thing. How much will it cost?”

“Nothing. You don’t have to pay me,” Steve answered her.

“No, I’m going to pay you. You can’t just do all of this work and print out a whole bunch of fliers and not charge me a cent,” opposed Natasha.

“I’m serious, Natasha. It’s a gift from a friend to a friend.”

“No, I insist on paying you something.”

“Fine. Let me think about it, and I’ll let you know when I show you my products.”

“Great! Now, we’re on the same page. So, you want me to e-mail you the picture and all the details, correct?”

“Sure do. It makes it a whole lot easier for me. Here, I’ll give you my e-mail now.” He grabbed a napkin from the table and a pen from his shirt pocket. “There you go. That’s my work one. I check that one every day, so I won’t miss your e-mail.”

“Thanks! I’ll send it to you just as soon as I get home.”

“Sounds like a plan. Was there something else you wanted to discuss with me?”

“What makes you think that?”

“Oh, maybe because you asked to meet in a coffee place to discuss something we could have discussed in my office. I mean, we haven’t even been here ten minutes, and we’re already done.”

“I guess I have an unanswered question from the last time we talked.”

Steve’s face turned serious. “What’s your question?”

“I’ve been wondering how you decided to join the military. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. I’m just curious.”

Steve smiled. “You do know that curiosity killed the cat, right?” he joked.

“Good thing I’m not a cat then. We wouldn’t want me being killed now would we?” she joked back.

“No, we wouldn’t. Now, I’ll put your curiosity at ease by answering your question. I probably should have started my story from the beginning the other day, but I got carried away by emotion. So, I wanted to join the military ever since I was a young boy. My father was in the army but was K.I.A. before I was born, so I never got the opportunity to get to know him. I would see pictures of my father in his military uniform, and I aspired to be just like him. The only thing that I knew would hinder me was my poor health. Before I became 6’4” and all muscle, I was a scrawny kid. I was 5’4” and weighed around 94 lbs. when I entered high school. I also had a number of health problems which kind of used up all of my ma’s money. She was a nurse and would work two shifts most of the time to get food on the table. Anyway, when I entered high school, I became aware of bullies, and I despised them. I hated seeing other people getting picked on, so I started fighting those bullies. If it weren’t for Buck, I probably wouldn’t be here. He would always pull me out of those situations. The summer after my sophomore year, Buck decided to train me to see if I could gain some muscle. All of that exercise certainly paid off. I hit a growth spurt, and basically, I grew a foot during that summer. Also, my illness started to slowly wear away until I didn’t have them anymore. I decided to start training to be on the football team that year, and that’s what helped me gain all this muscle. I was happy, to say the least, that I was finally healthy knowing that the army would certainly accept me once I was finished with high school. I was right about that. Bucky followed me into the army to keep an eye on me as always. About a month before I was shipped overseas, my mother died, so I needed to find a place for Pietro and Wanda to stay because they couldn’t live by themselves. Buck’s mother graciously offered to take them in since she had the extra rooms. After all of that whirlwind of emotions, I was shipped to Iraq. I sometimes regret ever going because it cost me a lot. First, Bucky lost his arm. The second was not spending enough time with my wife before she died.” He finished right there. His eyes were filling up with tears at the memories that came flooding back. That didn’t go unnoticed by Natasha.

“Hey, Steve, that wasn’t your fault. Bucky decided to go with you; you didn’t force him. As for your wife, I know that she was proud that her husband was protecting his country. I’m sure she wouldn’t have wanted her life to be any other way. You must have saved many people’s lives with your service, and America will forever be grateful. Sometimes bad things happen in our lives, but we can’t let that get us down. You need to stand up and fight for what you have. You need to pick up the pieces and mend them together again,” she encouraged him.

“What if you can’t pick up the pieces?” he whispered that she almost didn’t catch it.

“Then someone will come along and pick them up for you.”

Steve breathed a ragged breath in. “I’m sorry that you had to see this. I haven’t talked about it to anyone in such a long time, and I honestly thought I had gotten over it already. I guess today proves that I haven’t.”

“You apologize way too much for things you don’t even have to apologize for. If anything, I should be the one to apologize for bringing it up.”

Steve wiped his eyes and smiled. “Yeah, I guess I do apologize too much.”

“Well, I need to get going. I have to meet a friend for dinner later, and I have to get ready.” She started to get up to leave. “Oh wait, I forgot I came with you. Could you give me a ride home?”

“Oh, yeah!” Steve got up and pushed in his chair. “Let’s go. I wouldn’t want you being late because of me.”

* * *

 

The ride back to Natasha’s apartment was quiet. Natasha could sense Steve was deep in thought, so she didn’t want to disturb him. When they got to her apartment complex, she wasn’t expecting Steve to walk her all the way to her door, but that’s exactly what happened. As soon as they got to her door, she turned to face Steve. “Thanks for letting me tag along with you and Livy today. I guess I needed to get out for a little bit.”

“It’s no problem really. Whenever you’d like to hang out, you’re welcome.”

Natasha smiled at him, and he smiled back at her. Just like the week before, they got lost in each other, but this time they could both sense the sexual tension in the air. Involuntarily, both Natasha and Steve started closing the space between them. Steve’s head was screaming protests, but his heart was louder than his head. His heart told him to do it. Natasha knew it would be wrong, but it felt like it was the right thing to do. There was no one around to interrupt them this time unless Clint or Maria magically appeared, but she knew Clint was at work, and Maria wouldn’t be around ‘til later that day for dinner. Before either of them knew what was happening, their lips were on each other. Steve started to kiss her, and it only took a couple of seconds for Natasha to start kissing back. It was a short sweet kiss, but it was enough to put Natasha in a daze. She didn’t want it to end, but Steve started to move away. Once they were looking at each other again, Natasha suddenly felt nervous. She hadn’t intended for that to happen especially since he has a girlfriend. Immediately regret started to settle in as she realized he had just cheated on his girlfriend. “Um, thanks again. I’ll see Livy on Monday,” she said hastily as she unlocked her door. Once unlocked, she slipped in and slammed the door shut. She knew that was wrong in every way, but it had felt so right. Now, she really didn’t know how she was going to face him come Monday.

Steve stood standing outside her door going over what had just happened. He couldn’t believe what he had just done. As he walked back to the car, he kept thinking about the kiss. Yes, it was wrong because he has a girlfriend. But why did it feel so right for him? Why did it feel different from all of the kisses he and Sharon had shared? Was he really falling for the redhead while in a different relationship? No, he couldn’t be. It was just something on the spur of the moment, something that happened on impulse. He wasn’t thinking clearly. Right then and there, he decided that something like that would never happen again because someone would get hurt by those types of actions. Their relationship was strictly professional, nothing else. But even though he would think all of this over and over again, somewhere in the back of his head, he knew that he was just fooling himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know many of you are swooning over the kiss! I hadn't planned it to be in this chapter, but it just happened that way. 
> 
> After giving you this delightful chapter, I'm sorry to say that I'm going to be out of town for the next two weeks, and therefore, I won't be able to update in those two weeks. I just wanted to let you know so that you won't worry about my absence. Once I'm back, I'll start writing the next chapter. I guess it's only fair to give you a little heads up of what the next chapter will be about. It's going to be the chapter most everyone has been waiting for since chapter 20. If you haven't guessed it yet, it's going to be the gala chapter! Sadly, you'll have to wait for it. It wasn't my intention on making you guys wait because I know how excited many of you are, but I won't have time to write it before I leave. I'm sorry for leaving you guys like this for such a long time after my weekly updates, but I promise I'll make it up to you soon.
> 
> Anyways, head over to my wattpad account to see Steve and Natasha's outfits, https://www.wattpad.com/550668670-finding-love-again-chapter-21


	24. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back from my vacation! I was writing this chapter whilst on vacation in a notebook, so I had to type it and finish the chapter as well. I knew it was going to be a long one, but I didn't expect it to be this long. It's a little over 6.6k words! It's the longest chapter so far. I had so much fun writing it! I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

 

The week of the gala was a whirlwind of excitement. Stark Tower was filled with people decorating for the party. With each party that Stark threw, he would make them bigger and better than the last. This one was no exception. The only difference was that he was conscious that the next part of Wanda’s plan was going to be executed at his party, so he wanted it to be perfect. The rest were excited to see what would happen but scared at the same time because all of their efforts could go down the gutter with Sharon being there.

While the preparations were taking place, Wanda went over the plan with Bruce on what he would tell Natasha if she started to ask certain questions. The party was to be Saturday, July 4, so Wanda told Bruce he would call Natasha on Wednesday. On Wednesday morning, Wanda called Bruce to go over the details one last time, and she noticed that he was a ball of nerves. He was so nervous he would mess something up. Wanda had told him that Natasha could not know Bruce knew anyone but Tony and Clint. He was afraid that it would slip that he knew Wanda. When Wanda heard the nervousness in his voice, she decided to be there when he made the phone call during Nat’s lunch break. He was so relieved she had gone because he almost mentioned Wanda. It took some convincing on his part, but by the end of the phone call, Natasha had agreed to go.

On Friday, during Natasha’s lunch break, Wanda showed up. “Cancel all your classes for the rest of the day. You and I need to do some shopping.”

Natasha was clearly confused. “Shopping for what exactly?”

“Tony Stark asked me to take you shopping for a dress. He told me that one of his friends asked you out, but you were complaining that you don’t have a proper dress. He asked me to take you dress shopping since we kind of know each other already. It’s also going to be a courtesy of Stark.”

“But I can’t just cancel the rest of my classes on such short notice,” Natasha protested.

“Of course you can. All you have to say is that something of importance came up. I won’t take ‘no’ for an answer. You need to look your best tomorrow.”

“Ok,” she reluctantly agreed. “But you owe me one.”

“Yay! This is going to be so much fun! Come on!” She practically pulled Natasha off her seat.

“But I’m not done with-”

“Take it with you, and finish it in the car,” interrupted Wanda.

“What about my car?”

“We’re taking it since I came in the subway. If you want, I can drive while you finish your lunch.”

“Fine.” She gave Wanda her car keys, and soon they were on their way.

Once they got to the dress shop, Wanda got down to business digging through every rack and taking out as many dresses she thought would suit Natasha.

“Here. Go try these on while I look for more,” Wanda ordered, shoving about seven dresses into Natasha’s arms. “Make sure you come out so that I can see too.”

Natasha looked at the dresses and reluctantly went to the dressing room. None of the dresses Wanda had chosen was her style. She had actually seen one that caught her eye, but she didn’t want to take away Wanda’s excitement. However, Wanda loved how all of the dresses she chose looked on Natasha, but she wasn’t convinced that any of those first seven was the right one. “I’ll go get the other ones,” Wanda let Natasha know.

“Wanda, I appreciate your help and all, but I think I saw the one I want,” she spoke up as Wanda started walking away.

Wanda turned around abruptly. “Well, why didn’t you say so from the start?”

“I thought you would be bothered if I did. You were so excited to help out, and I didn’t want to take that from you.”

“Oh, nonsense! I do like helping out, but I guess I got to admit I got overexcited and started picking out what I like instead of asking you what you like. Now, show me the dress.”

“How about you just stay here, and wait ’til I put it on,” suggested Natasha.

“But don’t you need to go get the dress first?”

“I did before going to try on the other dresses. I’ll be out in a minute.”

When Nat came out of the dressing room, Wanda was left speechless. “So, what do you think?”

“Spin slowly.” Natasha spun slowly so that Wanda could appreciate the dress from all angles. “He will love it,” muttered Wanda.

“What was that?”

“I said that I love it! It’s definitely the one!” Wanda gave her a satisfied smile.

They soon paid and left the shop. “Natasha, I’m going to take a cab home, so don’t worry about having to drop me off at my house.”

“I can take you home. That’s not a problem.”

“Thanks for the offer, but I’m going to run some errands before going home. I’ll swing by your place tomorrow to help you get ready for the party. Stark’s orders.”

“Then I guess I have no choice but to accept the offer.”

“Indeed, you don’t. Text me your address, and I’ll text you the time I’ll come over.”

“Sure. I’ll text you as soon as I get home. Thank you for everything, Wanda. I have to admit that I would have been lost without you.”

“Don’t thank me yet, girl. You still need to see the final product. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

* * *

Stark had set the gala to start at 6 P.M., but the guests were sure to arrive before and after the set time. Bruce had agreed with Natasha to pick her up at 5:45 P.M. which was a perfect time since Steve would already be at the party by the time Bruce and Natasha arrive. Wanda had let Natasha know she would swing by her place at 4 P.M. to help her get ready. At exactly 4, Wanda was knocking on Natasha’s apartment door.

Natasha opened the door wearing a white bathrobe and towel on her hair. “Come on in, Wanda. I’m so glad you’re here. I have no idea how to style my hair.”

“Don’t you worry about that at all. I know just what hairstyle to do and how to do your makeup.”

Wanda followed Natasha to her room. Once there, she sat her down on the vanity and took out makeup from her purse. “You’re going to sweep all the guys off their feet once they see you,” Wanda commented although she was referring to one person in particular.

Natasha’s eyes went wide. “I don’t want to draw attention to myself,” she quickly let Wanda know.

“Girl, if you really were thinking about not drawing everyone’s attention to yourself, you wouldn’t have chosen the dress you did,” Wanda smirked.

“Oh, forget what I said. Just do your job.”

Wanda finished Natasha’s makeup about 15 minutes later and immediately started on her hair which took around 45 minutes to style. Once she was finished, Natasha and she stared at the finished product in the mirror’s reflection. “Wow! If you look gorgeous in the bathrobe, I don’t think I’ll have a word to describe you once you have the dress on. Maybe, amazingly gorgeous would fit.” Natasha just stared at herself in awe of Wanda’s work as if she hadn’t heard a word Wanda had just spoken. “Put on your dress so that I can see you before you go. There are 40 minutes ‘til Bruce arrives, so you’d better hurry. I’ll need some time to make sure you look perfect after you put on your dress,” urged Wanda.

Natasha snapped out of her trance. “Yeah, I’ll just need you to step out of the room for a minute.”

Wanda stepped out and sat down on the living room couch. She looked through Facebook and Instagram and even watched some YouTube videos while she waited. Finally, she looked at the time on her phone. It read 5:30. Wanda got up from the couch and knocked incessantly on Natasha’s door. “Natasha Romanoff! You’d better open this door right now! There are 15 minutes ‘til Bruce gets here, and I need to make sure you look perfect.” Just then, Natasha’s door slowly opened revealing her. Once she was in full view, all Wanda could say was “wow.”

“I feel like it’s too much,” Natasha quietly said.

“Nonsense! You look beautiful!”

“You really think so?” asked Natasha with a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

“No, I don’t think so.” Natasha’s face immediately fell when Wanda said that. “I know so,” Wanda continued. “You’ll be the prettiest one there; I can assure you that.”

Natasha smiled brightly. “You know, I haven’t ever dressed up this fancy for an event. It’s actually my first time going to a gala.”

“Good thing Bruce knows Tony. Well, thinking about it, you don’t even need an invitation to enter most of his parties. As long as he doesn’t consider you ‘ugly,’ you’re more than welcome to attend any and every party he throws unless it’s an exclusive party like this one,” Wanda explained while checking to make sure Natasha’s hair was in place. “There, you’re ready to go.”

“Thank you so much, Wanda. You’re a lifesaver. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

“Well, I’m sure you would have pulled it together just fine, but you wouldn’t look this amazing.” She hugged Natasha for a bit then pulled away. “I’ve got to get going. I don’t want to be here when Bruce shows up. Tell me his reaction when he sees you. Also, have fun at the gala. I want to hear all about it soon.”

“Are you not going?”

Wanda was not prepared for that question. “Look at me. I’m in jeans and a t-shirt. It starts in about 15 minutes, and I still have to get home. I was invited, but it looks like it’s going to be a little hard to actually make it to the party.”

“That’s a shame. Anyway, thank you once again. Don’t worry, I will have fun, and I’ll tell you all about it when I get the chance,” replied Nat. She showed Wanda to the door where they said their final goodbyes.

Once Natasha closed the door of her apartment, Wanda scurried down the stairs and outside where she ran into Bruce.

“Hey, Wanda! I thought you left already.”

“Haha, I thought I would have already be gone by now and texting you by now too, but she took a while putting on her dress. Thinking about it, I think she took a while staring at herself in the mirror after getting the dress on,” informed Wanda.

“How does she look?”

“Well, you’ll have to see for yourself to appreciate the look, but Steve is definitely going to drop dead when he sees her. He’s going to forget that Sharon exists.”

“I hope you’re right about that. I’ve got to go pick her up now. I’ll see you later at the party.”

“Yeah, I also need to run to get ready. I don’t want to miss too much action.”

“This will be one party to remember.”

“It sure will be!” Wanda shouted as she made her way to her car.

Bruce made his way into the building and up the stairs to Natasha’s floor. He stood outside of her door and waited a little before he knocked. He had to make sure that he reminded himself that he has to act like he doesn’t know anyone except for Clint and Tony. This was going to be one tough night. Finally, he knocked on her door.

“Just a minute!” Natasha called out. She made sure one last time that all the windows were locked and the curtains were closed. Once she knew everything was in order, she grabbed her clutch bag and opened the door.

“Wow! You look beautiful!” Bruce complimented once he saw her.

“Thanks, but I owe it all to a friend of mine. I couldn’t have accomplished the look by myself.”

“I’m sure you could have with patience. Shall we go?”

“Yes, just as soon as I lock up.”

* * *

As always, Steve and Sharon arrived at the gala on time. He despised being late to an event. It was a little hard now that he had to get Livy ready and pick up Sharon as well, but he always managed to get to the place on time. Before actually going into the party room, he dropped Livy off at the playroom. Cooper, Lila, and Nathaniel were already there much to Steve’s relief. He made sure to remind Livy to be on her best behavior and if she got sleepy to lie down on one of the beds in there before she actually fell asleep.

When Steve got out, Sharon was impatiently tapping her foot. “What took you so long?” she asked a little annoyed.

“I was giving Livy last minute instructions,” was his simple answer.

“You should have done that in the car or something. We’ve missed the first couple of minutes to the party. Also, I need to leave earlier than usual to go to my family’s firework show. I want to spend as much time as I can here with you.”

“I’m sorry, Sharon. I should have thought of that. Let’s just forget it and enjoy the party, all right?”

“Of course! I can’t wait to see what Stark has up his sleeve this time.”

When they entered the ballroom, it was already filled with celebrities, politicians, and a host of other people Tony had invited, but Steve knew that this wasn’t even the half of them. Steve and Sharon went around the room greeting people, most of which Steve had no clue who they were. To him, it seemed as if Sharon knew everyone in the room.

Not long after they got in, Tony spotted them. He made sure to find Pepper first so that he could go welcome them. “Welcome to my Independence Day celebration! I’m so glad you two made it!” he exclaimed.

“You did promise me that you wouldn’t have anything to do with my birthday in your party this year, so I kept my part of the promise to attend,” Steve replied.

“It’s so nice to see you again, Sharon,” Tony forced out. “Are your parents going to make it to the party?”

“Unfortunately not. We have our own traditions with Carter Enterprises for the Fourth of July, so they’re hosting their own party right now. I actually have to be there right now but decided to spend some time at this amazing gala with Steve. I’ll probably be leaving around 10 tonight so that I won’t miss the firework show. That’s the one thing I cannot miss,” she told Tony.

“I see. Well, send my regards to your parents.”

“I sure will.”

While Tony and Sharon were having their little conversation, Steve and Pepper had been having their conversation which stopped once Tony and Sharon finished.

“I hope you both enjoy the party, and we’ll be seeing you around,” Pepper said.

“Thank you, Pepper,” Steve and Sharon said in unison.

“Let’s go find Clint and Laura to say hi,” suggested Steve.

“Oh, yes, that would be nice. I haven’t seen them in a while.”

It wasn’t long before they found them. “Hello, Clint and Laura,” Steve greeted.

“Hey, Steve and Sharon,” Laura returned. “I’m so glad you two made it. Is Livy already with Cooper and Lila?”

“Indeed she is. I’m not sure they will be asleep yet by the time the party is over. I hope they don’t make too much noise for Nathaniel.”

“I’m sure they won’t. Nathaniel is a deep sleeper.” Turning to Sharon, Laura asked, “So, Sharon, how have you been?” That started a conversation between the two women.

“So you got the day off to come?” Steve asked Clint.

“Yeah, something like that. I actually got tomorrow off too because I know I won’t be able to work with the hangover I’m bound to get tomorrow morning.”

“You wouldn’t get one if you measure your alcohol intake.”

“One night a year won’t hurt. Besides, I need the little break,” Clint defended. “How have you been since I last saw you?”

“I’ve been getting along okay. My life hasn’t gotten very interesting.”

“A little birdie told me that you went out with a certain redheaded ballet teacher last week,” he whispered to him.

“Wait, how did you-”

“Livy tells Lila everything. You know that your daughter has no filter in her mouth. She’s the cutest gossiper I know. Let me rephrase. She’s the cutest gossiper after Lila that I know.”

Steve was speechless.

“Your silence tells me that it’s true,” smirked Clint.

“I-it’s not w-wh-what you think,” Steve stuttered.

Clint laughed. “You should see your face! It’s as if I caught you doing something wrong which you probably did because you’re blushing a bit, but this is not the place to talk about it. Anyway, speaking of that redhead, isn’t that her walking in with Bruce?”

Steve turned around to look where Clint was looking at, and sure enough, there she was walking in with Bruce. From a distance, she looked gorgeous with her white and blue dress that hugged her curves perfectly. She looked like an angel in that dress. Steve was mesmerized by her, and the memory of the kiss that they had shared just a week prior came flooding back. He wanted to feel her lips on his again and taste them. But he then remembered that she had come with Bruce. Once again, she was with Bruce. How did they know each other? Why did he have to invite her to come to this party? Steve’s blood began to boil slowly with jealousy.

“Hey, Steve, you’d better stop staring so intensely at them. It’s not nice to stare,” Clint quietly rebuked him.

“Oh, right.”

At that moment, Sharon walked up to Steve and asked, “Babe, why don’t we go dance a little?”

“Yeah, sure. Let’s go dance.”

After they had danced for a while, they went to the bar to get something to drink. Coincidentally, Bruce and Natasha happened to arrive at the bar at the same exact time.

“Hi, Steve! I didn’t know you’d be here,” Natasha said just as soon as she realized who it was.

“Hey, Miss Romanoff, um, Natasha. I didn’t know you’d be here either.”

“Bruce invited me that’s why I’m here. You do remember Bruce, right?”

“Um, yeah, I do. He was at the restaurant with you, wasn’t he?”

“Yep!”

“You remember Sharon?” he asked feeling a little dumb after asking that question since she had been the one to think Sharon was Livy’s mother.

“Of course, I do. How’ve you been Sharon?”

“I’ve been busy with work but not so busy to have a little fun every once in a while. Right, Steve?”

Steve just nodded his head feeling at a loss for words. He couldn’t keep his eyes off Natasha, and when he did, he would just glare at Bruce which didn’t go unnoticed by him. He knew he would be in big trouble now that Steve has seen him with Natasha for the second time. He knew that he was jealous even though he didn’t exactly get it yet because he was still dating Sharon. If he really loved Natasha more than Sharon he would have already broken up with Sharon. His thoughts would have kept going if it were not for Betty coming up behind him.

“Hello, Bruce. I’m so glad I found you!” Betty exclaimed, startling Bruce.

He turned around to face her. “Hi, Betty! You made it! Where’s your father?”

“He’s talking with some important people I don’t even know, so I just excused myself.”

“I’m surprised to see he let you out of his sight.”

“Me too.” She suddenly noticed the other three people standing there. “Oh hey, Steve, Sharon. Long time no see. Hi, Natasha. So good to see you again. How have you all been?”

Steve was confused out of his mind. He couldn’t put two and two together. How did Betty know Natasha?

While Steve was thinking, Sharon and Natasha both had answered Betty’s question. “Steve, how have you and Livy been getting along?”

“Uh, we’ve been getting along just fine. Livy’s actually taking ballet lessons.”

“Oh, really? That’s not much of a surprise. She’s always wanted to learn ballet.”

“Yes, I just wouldn’t let her because I thought she was too young,” explained Steve.

“What changed your mind?”

“Better said who. Natasha here told me that since she was tall for her age, she would teach her.”

“Wow! What a small world this is! Natasha, you didn’t tell me you know Steve,” Betty told her.

“I didn’t know you knew him,” Natasha simply answered even though she was a bit confused.

“Bruce! You didn’t tell her?” Betty inquired of Bruce.

“Tell her what?” Bruce pretended to not know what Betty was referring to.

While all of this had been going on, Wanda and Bucky had already arrived and everyone was keeping a close eye on both couples. Tony saw when Betty made her way over to the little group, so he knew he would have to make his play soon. Everyone involved in the plan had coms on, so Tony told Wanda through his com, “Let me know when I can make the announcement of the dance.”

“Be patient, Stark. I need to listen to their conversation. I’m just going to stand with Bucky at a little distance and see what I can hear,” Wanda answered. Wanda listened to most of the conversation, but the moment Betty said ‘What a small world this is!’ Wanda knew it was time for Tony to do his part. “Tony, now would be a good time to get on stage and make all the announcements you want.”

Tony excused himself from the conversation he was having with some celebrities and rushed to the stage. Signaling the DJ to stop the music and taking the microphone, he cleared his throat. “Welcome to my Annual Independence Day Gala! I’m glad that you all could make it out here tonight to celebrate with me. I hope you haven’t been enjoying yourselves too much.” He paused before he continued, “I’m kidding. Enjoy yourselves all you want. Stay the night even. I have plenty of space.”

Wanda mentally facepalmed herself. “Stark, you should get to the point soon,” she whispered.

“Moving on. I have two announcements to make tonight, but I’m only going to mention one. Tonight, we are going to do something a little different.”

Thor took that at his cue to start approaching Steve and Sharon from behind.

“I had been wanting to do something different at my parties for quite some time now. As I was planning this one, the thought struck me. I decided that we would have one dance that we have to dance with someone we didn’t come with tonight. I think we could get to know someone else better. Without any further ado, go find someone you didn’t come with tonight-and if you came alone, find anyone you want-and invite them to dance this next number. DJ, you can hit it!”

As soon as Stark finished speaking, Sharon felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around and came face to face with Thor. “Lady Sharon, may I have this dance?”

“Uhh, I would love to, but…” she turned to look at Steve.

“Don’t worry about me. You go enjoy yourself. I think I’m just going to sit this one out and watch the dance.”

Sharon smiled. “Ok, Thor. Yes, I will dance with you.”

Thor whisked Sharon away to the other side of the dance floor while Bruce and Betty also joined in leaving Steve and Natasha alone. The music began playing, and Natasha immediately recognized the introduction. “Oh, I love this song.”

“Really?” Steve seemed amazed that she knew it. “I haven’t heard it before,” he lied. “Which one is it?”

“It’s ‘So Close’ sung by Jon McLaughlin.”

_You're in my arms, and all the world is calm.  
The music playing on for only two._

He saw how much she was already enjoying the music, so he decided to make a go for it. “Would you-would you like to dance? With me that is. I-I’m not the best dance, b-b-but I could probably give you a spin so-so that you can dance to this song,” he stuttered.

Natasha smiled softly at him. “I’d love to dance with you, Steve. I think that you may be underestimating yourself with how you dance.”

_So close, together._

“Maybe. I always told Peggy that I need the right partner, and she was the one who fulfilled that role. Ever since then, I don’t dance the same way.”

_And when I'm with you  
So close, to feeling alive._

“Don’t worry about it. I’m sure you dance just fine. Let’s go for a spin.”

_A life goes by,  
Romantic dreams must die._

They started dancing to the music, and little by little Steve picked up his confidence.

_So I bid mine goodbye_  
And never knew.  
So close, was waiting,  
Waiting here with you.  
And now, forever, I know  
All that I wanted  
To hold you so close.

“You don’t dance that bad. Honestly, you’re pretty good at it,” she complimented.

“It must be the partner then,” he flirted. Natasha blushed slightly at remark but kept her cool.

_So close to reaching_  
That famous happy end.  
Almost believing  
This one's not pretend.

Steve started to sing the next part of the song quietly so that Natasha was the only one who heard it. “ _And now you're beside me, / And look how far we've come. / So far we are. So close…_ ”

His singing took Natasha by surprise. “I thought you said you’ve never heard the song before,” she said with surprise in her voice. “I didn’t even know you sing.” __  
  


“There are still a lot of things you don’t know about me. About the song, I’ve known it for quite some time. I would listen to it every night while I was in Iraq thinking about Peggy.”

They stopped making small talking and danced to their heart's content until the song was over.

_Oh how could I face the faceless days  
If I should lose you now?  
_  
 _We're so close to reaching_  
That famous happy end,  
And almost believing,  
This one's not pretend.  
Let's go on dreaming  
For we know we are...  
So close, so close  
And still so far...

After the dance was over, Steve bowed and Natasha curtsied before Sharon came to take Steve away to dance with him. Bruce had forgotten all about Natasha because he was with Betty so that left Natasha alone. She decided to wander around a little bit, but instead, she found Clint and Laura.

“OMG! I didn’t know that you two were going to be here!” squealed Natasha.

“Tasha! It’s so nice to see you! Did someone invite you?” Laura asked when she heard Natasha.

“Yeah, Bruce did, but he kind of got sidetracked with Betty,” replied Natasha.

“Betty’s here?” asked Clint in disbelief even though he knew that she would be here.

“You seem surprised about that.”

“I haven’t seen her in a long time. She must’ve come by herself then if Bruce is with her.”

“Oh, darling. I saw General Ross not that long ago. I even pointed him out to you,” Laura reminded him.

“That’s right. I forgot. So Bruce ditched you for Betty when he’s your date?”

“Kind of, but I don’t really mind. I like to see that they’re finally back together.”

“Right. You know that you can’t lie to us, Tasha,” Laura pointed out.

“Fine. I don’t know anyone here, and I feel a little uncomfortable. I was just about to go explore the tower. Do you guys think Mr. Stark will mind?”

“Not one bit. Lots of people wander around when they get a little bored. Some even rent out rooms for the night, so don’t go into any random room. Feel free to get to know the place,” Clint invited.

“You sure?” Natasha doubtfully asked.

“Positive! Just stay close so that you don’t miss the cake.”

“Cake?”

“Yes, we’re going to have cake later for a special occasion, but you should just be here to see what it’s about,” Laura quickly cut in before Clint went into too much detail.

“I’ll keep that in mind. I guess I’ll be seeing you two around then?”

“Sure thing.”

* * *

Tony was waiting until Sharon left so that he could bring out the cake. He knew that if the cake was brought out while she was still there, she would stick around longer than he wanted her to. He finally saw Sharon pull Steve aside for a little bit. Tony moved to a place where he could keep an eye on them. To him it looked like she was indeed going to leave, but he wasn’t 100% sure until they kissed goodbye. “Gross,” he thought. “Why do they have to kiss? It looks awkward.” Sharon finally pulled away and headed towards the elevator and soon after disappeared. Now was the time for his next announcement. He squeezed his way through the crowd to get to the stage. Once there, he grabbed a microphone and tapped it to make sure it was on. “Hello, again!” The noise died down and the music stopped when he said that. “It’s time for my second announcement! But before I say it, I need my dear friend Captain Steven Grant Rogers to come to the stage.”

The last sentence caught Steve’s attention, and he inwardly groaned. He slowly walked up to the stage. Once there, Tony and he gave each other a pat on the back, and Steve whispered, “Oh, no, you didn’t.” Tony just grinned at him.

“As most of you already know, today is Captain Roger’s birthday. I have ordered a cake in his honor which he will blow out the candles and cut. Before he does that though, we’ll be singing him ‘Happy Birthday.’ Bring in the cake!” A couple of cooks wheeled the cake up to the stage and put it right in front of Steve while Tony had started the crowd in singing the birthday song. Once the song was finished, Tony continued, “Make a wish, Cap, and blow out your candles!” Steve stared at the host of candles on his cake to make it appear as he was actually making a wish. He was instead thinking of how ridiculous Tony was to put all 23 candles on his cake. He finally blew out the candles and cut the cake.

After all his birthday commotion was over, Steve needed a little break and headed out to the balcony to get some peace and quiet and some fresh air. He thought he would be alone, so he was startled to see a woman was standing on the edge overlooking the city. He was going to make a quiet exit and go to the roof instead, but the lady turned around and saw him. With the lighting being dimmer, Steve’s eyes still hadn’t adjusted inhibiting him to recognize the lady. He did notice that she had turned, so he began excusing himself, “I’m sorry, Ma’am. I didn’t know anyone else was out here. I was just about to leave.”

“There’s more than enough room for the both of us, Steve. Also, it’s not like it says that the balcony is in use. Anyone can come out here whenever,” Natasha told him.

“Oh, it’s you,” Steve said with relief, his eyes finally focusing a little more. “What are you doing out here all alone? Where’s Bruce?”

“I could say the same to you,” Natasha responded avoiding his questioning.

“I’ll tell you if you answer my question first.”

“Deal. I’m out here enjoying the night sky and city lights. Bruce is with his girlfriend like he’s supposed to be. I’m not even sure why he invited me instead of her, not that I mind that he invited me, but he could have invited her.”

“Wait, girlfriend? I thought you two were-”

Natasha’s laugh cut him off. “No, Bruce and I are just friends. The other day at the restaurant we were just catching up. He told me he wanted to meet up again which that totally caught me by surprise since we hadn’t talked in a while. Betty is his girlfriend, but if I put two and two together, you already knew that.”

Steve was inwardly embarrassed that he had been so jealous of Bruce. He’d have to ask Bruce to forgive him for all the glares he shot his way knowing they didn’t go unnoticed by him. “I only knew that Bruce and Betty had dated in the past, but I didn’t know they were back together.”

“They haven’t been back together for very long. So, why are you out here all alone without Sharon? She seems to be one that never lets you out of her sight.”

“She left before the cake to her family’s business party. I’m out here because I’m sick of all the noise and commotion. I needed a break from all of that and some fresh air. This is the place I always come to during Tony’s crazy parties.”

“It is pretty nice out here. By the way, happy birthday.”

“Thanks.” Steve half smiled at her.

“You don’t seem so happy to celebrate your birthday.”

“I like celebrating it but not Tony’s way. He had promised me that this year he wasn’t going to include my birthday in his Fourth of July celebration.”

“He broke it, that’s why you seem a little upset,” said Natasha as realization dawned on her.

Steve just nodded in confirmation. Natasha saw that he wanted to forget about that for now, so she asked the first question that came to mind. “How did you and Sharon meet?”

Steve turned his gaze from the floor to Natasha’s eyes. “I met her when Peggy was still alive, but I never spoke much to her because her visits would be brief or I would have some work to attend to. At Peggy’s funeral, she reintroduced herself to me and offered her assistance with whatever I may need. I honestly had forgotten all about her until Stark’s Christmas Gala. Sharon’s family owns Carter Enterprises, and Stark does business with them sometimes. She found me there, and we caught up. It wasn’t until February of this year that I decided to date her.”

“Is she going to inherit her family’s company, or is it going to be handed to a sibling of hers?”

“She doesn’t have siblings, so yes, she’s inheriting the company.”

“She must be a very busy woman,” mused Natasha.

“She is, but at least she tries to spend time with Livy and me.”

A comfortable silence fell on the two of them. Each one was gazing out to the horizon enjoying the night breeze and the stillness despite it being New York. Steve was the one to break the silence after several minutes. “You look stunning tonight.”

Thankfully for Natasha, it was dark, so Steve didn’t see the blush that tinted her cheeks. “You don’t look so bad yourself. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in a suit.”

Steve smiled. “Suits are for special occasions and parties. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in a dress or with so much makeup and your hair done all fancy.”

Natasha giggled. “Like you said, it’s for special occasions and parties, but I have to admit I’ve never been this dressed up before. I actually had help from your sister with all of this. I couldn’t have done it myself.”

Steve was taken aback a little bit. “Wanda pulled this look together?” Natasha nodded. “Wow! I’m starting to think that she studied the wrong major in college. I wonder how she could pull this off, yet get herself ready and look just as pretty and make it fairly on time to the party.”

“Wanda’s here?”

“Yes, she’s somewhere around here. Didn’t she tell you she was coming?”

“No. She told me she wouldn’t have time to get ready. She left my house around 15 minutes before 6. I guess I’ll have to find her before I go.” Natasha suddenly felt a little cold and shivered involuntarily. It didn’t go unnoticed by Steve, so he took off his suit coat and put it around her. “Please, you’re going to get cold. I’m fine. I don’t need it.” She started taking it off.

“I’ll be fine, Natasha. I don’t want you to catch a cold.”

“Thank you. You’re such a gentleman. No one has ever treated me like you do,” Natasha sadly told him.

“Every woman deserves to be treated with respect, especially you.”

Natasha once again blushed at his comment. This guy was too good to be true. She only hoped Sharon knew how lucky she was to have him as a boyfriend. Steve was standing a little behind her, and before she knew it, she had already leaned back into him. It caught Steve by surprise, but he soon regained his composure and put his arms around her, his hands resting lightly on her stomach. They felt comfortable standing there with each other. All their worries were forgotten. They stayed in that position until Steve noticed it was time for him to leave. There weren’t as many people in the room as there was before, and Steve noticed that Bruce was nowhere in sight. He took it upon himself to take Natasha home, not that he minded. Livy was lost in slumber, so he decided to leave her there since Lila was also going to stay the night. The car ride was silent. There wasn’t a need for anything to be said, and besides, Natasha was getting lulled to sleep by the car’s movement. Once at her apartment building, Steve accompanied her to her door to make sure she made it inside safely.

“Thank you, Steve, for the dance, the company, and the ride home. I had an enjoyable time tonight,” Natasha sleepily thanked him.

“That was my pleasure. I’m glad you enjoyed yourself tonight. One more thing before you go inside.”

“Yes?”

“I have your posters and fliers ready. Whenever you can, swing by my office to take a look at them.”

Natasha yawned. “I’ll take a look at my schedule for this week, and I’ll let you know.”

“Sounds good to me. Get some rest.”

“I will. You too.”

“Thanks. Good night.”

“Good night.” Natasha unlocked her apartment door, went inside, and locked it.

They both fell asleep thinking about the night, but more about the dance. Steve had said that he needed the right partner to dance, and it had been Peggy. Ever since then, he hadn’t been able to find the right partner to dance with until that night. Steve had danced as if he was in the clouds, and Natasha noticed it. He didn’t dance with Sharon the same way he did with her.

On the flip side of the coin, Wanda and Bucky were watching them the whole night. They had overheard their whole conversation on the balcony as well. They left that night without a shadow of a doubt that Steve and Natasha had fallen for each other and were meant to be. Had Steve and Natasha noticed that themselves? What about Sharon? How long would it be before she would be kicked out of the picture? With Sharon still around, there would still be a long, rocky road ahead of them. Will their souls and hearts find their way to each other, or will Steve make the biggest mistake of his life?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I have the pictures of the dresses on Wattpad. The website is: https://www.wattpad.com/560124791-finding-love-again-gala-dresses
> 
> I hope you enjoyed it. Hopefully, I'll keep up the rhythm I had before I went on vacation, but I won't promise anything because I'm about to get busy with finishing up my school year and I have to take my SAT test in June. I'll try my best not to have such long pauses between updates though.


	25. Chapter 23

The Tuesday after the gala Steve was busier than normal at work. He had time to drop off Livy at her ballet class, but he knew that he wouldn’t be able to pick her up. All of his friends were working today, so he couldn’t ask one of them to pick her up. He contemplated asking Natasha if she could stay with her but that would be inappropriate. He then got a brilliant idea. For so long, he’s been wanting Sharon and Livy to have a girls’ day, but something would always get in the way. He knew that Tuesdays were Sharon’s least busy days, so he didn’t think there would be a problem for her to pick Livy up. He called her once he got to the office, and thankfully for him, she agreed to pick her up and spend time with her. Once he got that established, he called the front desk of the ballet school to let them know.

Natasha had just dismissed Livy’s ballet class when Daisy came in. “Miss Romanoff.”

Natasha turned to face Daisy as she had her back to her. “It’s Natasha for you. What do you need help with?”

“Mr. Rogers called earlier to let you know that he wouldn’t be able to pick Livy up, but he’s sending his girlfriend. I believe her name is Sharon.”

“Oh, yes, I know who it is. Thank you for letting me know.”

“Just doing my job,” Daisy answered before returning to the front desk.

Soon, Livy and Natasha were the only ones left in the room. “Miss Nat, my daddy hasn’t come yet.”

Natasha crouched down to Livy’s eye level. “Your daddy called saying that Miss Sharon is going to pick you up today.”

Livy’s face showed fear. “I don’t want to go with her. I’d rather stay here with you.”

“I know you do, but it’s what your daddy said. If you want, I can wait with you in the lobby. I still have some time before my next ballet lesson starts,” offered Natasha.

Livy nodded eagerly.

“Let’s go to the lobby then.”

Natasha and Livy walked hand in hand to the lobby and sat on a couch together. While they waited, they played hand games such as “pat-a-cake.” Natasha’s next students began to arrive, and Sharon still hadn’t arrived. “Wait here, Livy. I’m going to call your dad to find out what’s going on.”

She got up, walked to an empty room, and dialed Steve’s number.

**“This is Steve Rogers. How may I help you?”**

“Hi, Steve. It’s Natasha.”

**“Hello, Natasha. I’m quite surprised you’re calling me. If it’s because Sharon is there, I called ahead and told Miss Johnson Livy’s supposed to go with her.”**

“Yes, Daisy told me but that’s not the problem.”

 **“What is it then?”** Steve asked confused.

“The problem is that Sharon hasn’t come yet, and I have to start my next class.”

Steve cursed under his breath. **“I’ll call her and see what’s taking her so long. I’m sure she’s just running late.”**

“Ok, call me back. I’ll start my class once I know.”

**“I will. Give me five minutes.”**

Steve hung up the phone and immediately called Sharon.

 **“Steve! Why are you calling?”** Sharon answered with her usual cheery voice.

“Where are you?”

**“At my office where I’m always at. I’m working, remember?”**

“Oh my word! Sharon, you were supposed to pick up Livy at 11!”

 **“Was I? I thought you said noon,”** she innocently said.

Steve took a deep breath to calm himself. “When will you be able to go pick her up?”

**“At noon. I moved everything I had to do after that time in the morning, so I can’t go now.”**

“Ok, I’ll let Miss Romanoff know. I hope she doesn’t mind keeping her there for an extra hour.”

**“I’m so sorry. I guess I misunderstood.”**

“It’s ok. I should have called to remind you. I’ll see you later, ok?”

**“Of course! I’m looking forward to it.”**

“I have to call Miss Romanoff back now.”

**“That’s fine. I need to get back to my work.”**

 Natasha’s phone rang, and she saw it was Steve calling. “What did she say?”

**“Apparently, she got the time mixed up. She won’t be able to pick her up until noon. Is it ok with you if you keep her there until then?”**

“I’d be delighted too. She can probably learn something by watching the older kids.”

**“I’m so sorry for the inconvenience.”**

“Steve, don’t worry about it. It’s not an inconvenience. I’m happy to watch her anytime.”

**“Thanks so much, Natasha. I’ll let you go to your class now.”**

“Thank you. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Natasha hung up and told Livy what her dad said. She was overjoyed she could observe the class and spend a little bit more time with Natasha.

Once the class was over, Natasha sat down by Livy. “What did you think of the class?”

“It looked really hard, but they dance nice,” Livy answered.

“Don’t worry. You’ll soon be dancing like them. It does take a lot of hard work to get this good, and you’ll only achieve it with practice.”

Livy nodded.

“Are you ready to go to the lobby now? Miss Sharon should be out there.”

Livy shook her head. “I want to stay here with you,” she said for the second time that day.

“Why don’t you want to go with Miss Sharon?” Natasha asked curious as to why she was so insistent on staying here.

“I don’t wike her.”

“Why? She seems like she’s a very nice person.”

“She’s mean.”

“Oh, come on. Just give her a chance, all right? Do it for me?”

Livy hesitantly nodded her head in agreement.

“Let’s go to the lobby now.”

They walked out and saw no sign of Sharon. “Hey, Daisy. By any chance has a tall, blonde lady come in here?” inquired Natasha.

“No, there hasn’t been anyone in here. Only the parents coming to pick up their kids,” answered Daisy, not taking her eyes off of the computer.

“Thanks, Daisy.” She turned to face Livy. “It looks like we’ll have to wait a little longer.” Natasha gave her a piece of paper and a pencil so that she could keep herself entertained.

Around 12:30 P.M., Livy stopped drawing. “I’m hungry.”

Natasha looked up from her phone. “I know, so am I. I would have taken you out to eat, but she should have been here by now. I think I’m going to call-”

Just then, the doors opened, and Sharon walked in taking off her designer sunglasses in the process. “I am so sorry I’m late. The meeting I was in went a little long. I would have called, but Steve forgot to give me the number.”

Natasha internally rolled her eyes. She could have just asked him to text it if she really needed to. Putting on her best smile, she said, “Don’t worry about it. Let me give you a card just in case you have to come again. We wouldn’t want this to repeat itself now.”

“No, we wouldn’t. Thank you for understanding.”

Livy had hidden a little behind Natasha the moment she had gotten up when Sharon came in. She didn’t want to go with Sharon.

“Here you go, and here is Livy,” Natasha said moving a little bit aside.

“Hi, Livy. Do you want to go get some lunch?” Sharon smiled at her.

Livy didn’t answer, so Natasha said, “She actually just finished telling me she’s hungry, so I’m sure she’d love to get some lunch.”

“Come on, Livy. Go get your stuff, and we’ll go out to lunch.”

Livy wasn’t moving, so Natasha turned and motioned for her to go get her stuff. She obediently did, but before going to Sharon, she gave Natasha her usual hug. This time though, instead of saying she’d see her the next day, she whispered, “I love you, Miss Nat.”

The statement stunned Natasha. She was silent for a while pondering the words before she realized Livy was expecting an answer.  “I love you too, Livy. Be good for Miss Sharon.”

Livy nodded and pulled away from the hug. Natasha watched as Sharon and Livy left. She couldn’t see why Livy said Sharon was mean if she was all but nice to her right now. She shrugged it off as Livy not wanting someone to replace her mother.

In the car, Livy asked Sharon, “What are we going to do today?”

Sharon turned around to look at her since she hadn’t started driving yet. “You listen carefully because I don’t want to repeat myself. Your daddy wants me to take you out somewhere to spend time together, but sadly, I have work. You’re going to draw or play with that stuffed animal of yours while I work. Once I’m done, I’ll take you home. You are going to tell your daddy you had a fun time at the aquarium. You’re also going to tell him we went to Central Park and ate ice cream,” Sharon told her with coldness.

Livy nodded her head.

“Are you sure you heard everything you’re going to tell your daddy?”

Livy once again nodded her head.

“What are you going to tell him?”

“Th-that w-we went t-to the aquarium a-and then we went to C-Central Park to get i-ice cream,” she stuttered with fear.

“That’s a good girl. You’d better tell him that if you don’t want to go to boarding school.”

Livy nodded once again.

When she got home later that day, that’s exactly what she told Steve she did in the afternoon. She was too afraid of Sharon and her threats to care about lying to Steve. Steve, on the other hand, never noticed the lies. He simply believed Sharon and her.

* * *

 

The next day, Steve asked Natasha if she could meet him in his office during her lunch break to look at the rough draft of the designs of her posters and fliers. She agreed, and he gave her the address of the art gallery.

Lunchtime came around, and she went straight to his office to get it over with soon so that she could get lunch. Upon entering, she saw Wanda at the desk. “Hello, Wanda.”

Wanda looked up and squealed. “Natasha! What are you doing here?”

“I came for a meeting with Ste-, your brother. He’s designing some posters and fliers, and I came to see what he has so far,” she answered.

“Oh, I see. I can show you to his office.”

“Thank you, I really appreciate it.”

“So, you haven’t told me about the gala,” Wanda reminded her as they were on their way to Steve’s office.

“I haven’t told you because a little birdie told me you were there yourself,” smirked Natasha.

Wanda was surprised. “Guess I’m busted. Who told you?”

“That’s for me to know, and you to find out.”

“Steve told you, didn’t he?”

Natasha shrugged. “It may or may not have been him. Mr. Stark could have told me.”

Wanda just shook her head knowing that it had been Steve. She stopped in front of a door. “Well, this is his office. Let me knock.” She knocked on the door and not long after someone said, “Come in.”

Wanda opened the door and poked her head in. “Brother, someone is here to see you.”

“Tell her to come in.”

“How do you know it's a she if I didn’t even tell you the gender,” Wanda smirked.

“I set up my own meetings, so I know who it is. Don’t get smart with me, Wanda.”

Wanda was smiling. “You can go in,” Wanda told Natasha, opening the door all the way for her.

“Thank you, Wanda. I’ll see you on my way out.” Natasha stepped into the room. She saw Livy lying on her stomach drawing in a notebook. It was the cutest sight she had ever seen.

Livy looked up from her drawing for a moment to see who had come in. “Miss Nat!” she shouted, scrambling to get up and running to give her a hug.

“Livy, keep your voice down,” scolded Steve as he looked up from his computer. “Hi again, Natasha.”

Natasha smiled. “Hey.”

Steve stood up. “Take a seat.” He motioned to one of the chairs on the other side of his desk.

Natasha gladly took her seat. “I’m kind of excited to see what you designed.”

“Well, it’s just the rough draft, so if you don’t like it, I can make changes. If you do, then I’ll go ahead and print them out.”

“Sounds good to me.”

“Before we start though, I want to apologize for yesterday. I didn’t know Sharon heard a different time.”

“It’s not your fault. I’m just glad she eventually showed up.”

“What do you mean by eventually showing up?”

“She didn’t show up until 12:30. She said she had a meeting, but she couldn’t call because you never gave her the number.”

Steve frowned. “I’m so, so sorry. I didn’t know that she showed up that late. About the meeting part, she never has meetings on Tuesdays.”

“Maybe she needed to squeeze one in, or it was an emergency one,” suggested Natasha.

“Maybe. Well, whatever the case, I am truly sorry for the inconvenience.”

“It was my pleasure looking after Livy, and I’m sure she had a great time watching a more advanced class.”

“She did. She wouldn’t stop talking about it last night. I’m telling you, she dreams, eats, and breaths ballet,” he chuckled.

Natasha laughed a little. “That’s truly a ballerina you have there then. I was the exactly the same when I was her age.”

“I don’t doubt it. Anyway, I know you still have to go eat lunch, so let’s get started. I added everything you told me you wanted in the poster and flier, and as you requested, I used the picture you sent me. This is what they look like.” He turned to his computer and brought up a page. He turned his computer slightly so that she could get a better view. “This is the poster.”

Natasha was dumbstruck. She loved everything about the poster, the colors especially. She read it to make sure it’s what she wanted. “Wow! That’s you’re rough draft?”

“Yes, it is.”

Natasha shook her head. “I’m sorry, but that’s not a rough draft. That is the final one. It’s beautiful, and the text is correct. That one passes my inspection.”

“Are you sure? You can still add something if you want,” Steve let her know.

“It’s perfect. Now, let’s see the flier.”

Steve turned his computer and pulled up another page before turning the computer again.

“Yes, both of them will do.”

Steve was perplexed. “I usually have to do a couple of drafts before someone approves of my work. Are you sure this is what you want, and it’s not just you trying to be nice by taking the first option?”

“I’m sure, Steve. This is actually better than what I had in mind.”

Steve nodded still a little bit in doubt. “So how many do you want to print out of each?”

“Five posters and 10,000 fliers.”

Steve wrote it down on a piece of paper. “Ok. I’ll e-mail you the price later.”

“When can you have them printed by?”

“I should have them all by Friday. Is that all right?”

“It is. Now, before I go, I have two requests.”

“What are they?”

“First, can you design a website for the ballet school?” she asked hopefully.

Steve smiled. “I’ll try. That’s definitely not my strong point, but I’ll give it a shot.”

“Once this ballet show is over, we can start on it.”

Steve nodded in agreement. “What’s your other request?”

“Technically, it’s not a request. I’ve been thinking about everything that has happened, especially what happened in front of my door and the dance,” she whispered so that Livy wouldn’t hear. “I think we need to talk about it, especially the first one.”

Steve started blushing slightly. He looked away so that she wouldn’t notice. “Uh, y-yeah, whenever you’d like.”

“I don’t really want to put it off, but I’ll be spending all of my free time planning and preparing the ballet show, so it’ll also have to wait until after.”

Steve nodded. “Just let me know when you want to.”

“I know it’s not a conversation you want to have, but considering what’s going on in your life, we can’t avoid it.”

“I know,” he quietly said.

Natasha smiled at him reassuringly. “Thank you for designing the poster and flier. I’ll come on Friday to pick them up.”

“It was no problem. I can have them delivered to the ballet school if you want. I think it’ll be easier,” he suggested.

“That would save me so much more time. Thank you. Well, have a nice afternoon.”

“You as well. Drive safe.”

Livy heard that they were basically saying goodbye, so she got up. “Bye, Miss Nat. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Natasha hugged the little girl. “I’ll see you tomorrow as well.”

Livy motioned Natasha to get down. “Love you,” she whispered in her ear.

Natasha smiled, “Me too.”

Steve opened the door and let Natasha out. Both Steve and Livy watched her leave, but Steve stayed until she disappeared. He was dreading that conversation that Natasha wanted to have because he didn’t have an answer for his actions.

* * *

 

The upcoming weeks before the ballet show went flying by. Soon it was the night before the show. Natasha has invited Livy and her friends, Jenny, Mary, and Kylie, to her apartment for a pajama party. Of course, since they had their big debut the following day, she wouldn’t let them go to sleep so late.

When all the girls were there, they decided they wanted to watch a movie. “What movie do you girls want to watch?”

Jenny answered, “I want to watch Tangled!”

“I love that movie!” Kylie shouted.

“Yeah!” Mary and Livy both shouted.

“Ok, Tangled it is. What snacks do you want?”

“Popcorn!” all four of them screamed.

“Anything else?”

“Ice cream!” Livy said.

“Ok, I’ll go make the popcorn and get some ice cream.” Natasha went into the kitchen to gather the things.

While she was gone, all four girls started telling each other funny stories. As Mary was telling hers, Livy thought about something interesting to tell them. When Mary finished telling her story, Livy spoke up, “You want to hear a secret?”

“Yeah!” the other three said excitedly.

“You have to promise you won’t tell anyone.”

“We promise.”

“Cross your heart?”

All three of them crossed their heart, “Cross our heart.”

Natasha walked in at that moment but saw all of the girls huddled together. She loved observing little girls, so she stopped in the doorway to observe them a little.

Livy started to tell her story. “The first time my daddy and I met Miss Nat, she came running to stop us, and she tripped. My daddy caught her. They looked into each other’s eyes for a long, long time. The day after, my uncle Tony came to our house to give Daddy his backpack. He came into my room and showed me a drawing in my daddy’s notebook. Guess who my daddy drew?”

“Who?” they all asked eagerly.

Natasha who was listening from the doorway was also curious to know who he drew.

“It was Miss Nat!”

All the girls squealed.

“Does he like her?” Mary asked.

“I don’t know. It looks like it, but he’s still dating Sharon,” Livy disappointedly said.

Natasha was blushing. Steve Rogers drew a picture of her? She couldn’t believe it. She gathered her composure and walked in. “Ok, girls! Who’s ready to watch Tangled?”

“Me!” they shouted in chorus raising their hands.

Natasha laughed at their cuteness and enthusiasm. They only watched the one movie because they were already starting to fall asleep midway. Natasha tucked them in and gave each of them a kiss on their foreheads. The long-awaited day was finally here.

* * *

 

Everyone was buzzing around finishing the last minute preparations for the show. Natasha had done a quick rehearsal of the show in the afternoon, and it couldn’t have come out more perfect. She only hoped that it would come out in the real performance.

Steve had invited everyone to see Livy’s first performance including Sharon. He had all of the tickets and was waiting at the door for everyone to arrive. Five minutes before the performance, Steve was still waiting for Sharon. Everyone else was already in there. Since she wasn’t showing up, he decided to call her.

**“You have reached Sharon Carter. Unfortunately, I can’t answer right now. Please leave your message at the beep.”**

Steve sighed. Once it beeped, he left his message. “Hey, Sharon. It’s Steve. Are you coming to Livy’s ballet show? Please call me once you hear this message.” Steve hung up and sighed again.

“Hey, cous, the show’s about to start,” Thor said, startling Steve. “Sorry, man, didn’t mean to startle you.”

“It’s ok. Let’s go in.”

“Sharon’s not coming is she?” Thor asked noticing Steve’s fallen face.

Steve shakes his head. “She didn’t even pick up the phone, so I’m not sure what came up.”

“I’m sorry. But there will always be another performance.”

“But it won’t be her first,” Steve pointed out.

They stopped talking since they had already made it inside the theater. They made their way to their seats and sat down just in time.

* * *

 

After the performance was over, everyone stood up and clapped for the performers. It was an amazing performance and beautifully danced. Steve knew that Natasha was a great teacher, but she outdid herself with teaching them.

Everyone went backstage to congratulate Livy. Her cheeks were still rosy from dancing when they got there.

“You were incredible, Livy! I didn’t know you could dance like that!” Wanda gushed.

One by one they congratulated Livy. Steve was the last one to congratulate her. “Princess, you did an awesome job. Now, I have a little surprise for you,” he said.

“What is it?” she eagerly asked.

“Well, I know how much you enjoy ballet, so once you start school, you’ll be having private lessons with Miss Nat.”

Livy squealed with joy upon hearing that news and started jumping up and down. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” She jumped into Steve’s arms giving him a big bear hug and a slobbery kiss.

Once her excitement died down, Clint pulled them two aside. “You remember that time I invited you for the cook-out?” he asked Steve.

“Yes, I do. I’m sorry that I haven’t been able to go yet.”

“That’s all right. I’m actually going to do one next Saturday, you know, for the tradition that my family has. One last cook-out before the kids go back to school. Seeing as Livy here is going to start school, I was wondering if you’d like to join us.”

“We’d be happy to. I’m sure this one here is going to have a blast with Lila, Cooper, and Nathaniel.”

“Great! Be there at two o’clock next Saturday.”

“Wouldn’t miss it.”

While Clint was inviting Steve, Laura had gone to talk to Natasha. “That was a great performance you pulled together, Nat.”

“Aw, thanks, Laura. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without all of my students’ dedication.”

“Stop being so modest. Take some of the credit for yourself. They did learn from the best of the best.”

Natasha smiled. “Lila isn’t interested in learning ballet?”

“Before today, she wasn’t. Now, I’m not so sure. I’ll have to ask,” Laura said.

“If she doesn’t, that’s ok. It’s not for everyone. I had various students drop out because they just didn’t feel it. They found out that it wasn’t for them,” Natasha explained.

Laura nodded. “It is very strenuous exercise. I know I wouldn’t be able to do it.” They both laughed at that. “What are you doing next Saturday?”

Natasha thought for a moment. “I’m going to relax before having to start up with classes again.”

“Perfect!”

Natasha looked at her confused. “Why is that perfect?”

“You remember Clint’s tradition of doing one last cook-out with the kids before they start school again?” Laura inquired.

“Yes, I do.”

“It’s next Saturday at two o’clock. Would you like to join?”

“As long as Clint doesn’t mind,” Natasha joked.

“You know him. He won’t mind for the world. You know, I think maybe we should not tell him so that he’ll be surprised. He sees you so much as a sister, you know that right?”

“Of course, I do, and I’ll be there. Two o’clock, right?”

“Yep.”

“You’re absolutely sure Clint doesn’t know?”

“I didn’t even ask him if I can invite you, so no, he doesn’t know,” Laura reassured her.

Natasha nodded. “I best be going. Gotta start cleaning up.”

“Ok, I’ll let you go. See you next Saturday!”

Unbeknownst to either Clint or Laura, they had just invited the two people that they had been trying to get together to the same cook-out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter written! I honestly thought I wasn't going to be able to post anything this week since I had a little bit of writer's block, but thankfully someone helped me out by giving me lots of ideas. Lots of things happened in this chapter. What do you guys think?
> 
> The pictures of the poster and flier are on my Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/564013480-finding-love-again-chapter-23
> 
> On a side note, there is ONE MORE WEEK until Avengers Infinity War comes out!!!! I'm very hyped about it! Who else is excited?


	26. Chapter 24

Saturday morning, Laura was busy making salads, chili, and desserts. Clint wasn’t going to be home until noon, so she had time to advance some of the cooking. She took out five plates, cups, and plastic ware. She also took out a bowl to put Nathaniel’s baby food in. She set it on the counter so that Cooper and Lila could set the table just as soon as Clint sets up the table in the yard.

Right at noon, she heard Clint call out, “Honey, I’m home!”

“I’m in the kitchen!” Laura let him know.

She heard the thunder of footsteps on the stairs. “Daddy!” Lila shouted.

Clint swooped her in his arms. “Hey, Sweetheart! Have you been helping out Mommy?”

“Yes. I helped her make a salad and a pie.”

“You did? I’ll have to try that.”

Cooper entered the room with Nathaniel at that moment. “Hi, Dad! How was work?”

“Hi, Buddy! Work was as boring as usual.” Clint gave him a side hug and a kiss on his head. “Now, how’s my little champ?” He put Lila down in order to hold Nathaniel. Nathaniel started to gurgle and had a wide smile when Clint held him. Clint made his way into the kitchen. “Hi, Honey.”

Laura was moving around since she was still cooking and baking. “Hi, I’m glad you’re here. Can you set up the table in the yard so that the kids can set the table?”

“Yes, I will, but not before you give me a kiss.” He made her stop and pulled her in for a kiss.

Laura moaned into the kiss. When they pulled away, she said, “That was nice.”

“We can continue later,” he whispered in her ear.

Laura nodded. “The table, Clint,” she said.

“Right.” He took out the folding table and set it up in the backyard. “Cooper, Lila! You can set the table now!”

As obedient as they were, they came out and set the table while Clint took out the grill and all his grilling utensils. Cooper and Lila finished before Clint was done, and they went inside to help with Nathaniel. Once Clint was done setting up his grill, he went inside to make sure they had enough hamburgers and hotdogs. He took out the hamburgers and ribs so that they could begin to thaw. He went outside to make sure they had enough plates and chairs. They had enough chairs, but they were missing a plate. He went back inside to get it. “Honey, I think you miscounted the plates,” he said as he was searching for them.

Laura looked up from her chopping. “No, Dear, I didn’t.”

“We’re six, and there are only five plates.”

“Six? I think you’re counting Nathaniel.” Laura laughed and continued chopping. “He gets his own bowl.”

Clint was confused. “Wait, did you invite someone, Laura?”

Laura turned around again. “Did you?”

“Yes, I did. I thought I told you,” Clint frowned.

“No, you didn’t tell me anything, Dear. Who did you invite?”

“Steve and Livy,” Clint casually replied while Laura gasped. The gasp caught Clint’s attention. “Who did you invite?”

“I shouldn’t tell you because it’s supposed to be a surprise, but I guess if we’re going to sort this out, I’d better tell you. I invited Nat.”

“Tell me you didn’t,” Clint begged.

“I did. Surprise?”

“We don’t even need Wanda telling us what to do because we do it ourselves. I don’t even know if Steve knows Nat knows us and vice versa,” Clint began panicking.

“Calm down. Everything will be fine. We’re just hanging out as friends.”

“Right. It’s not like we’re trying to set them up.”

“Exactly. Now just set two more plates on the table,” Laura said to Clint. To herself, she said, “I’m so glad I made lots of food.”

* * *

 

Steve and Livy were the first ones to arrive. Livy practically bounced out of the car when they had parked. She was very excited to see Cooper, Lila, and Nathaniel but more excited to see Lila. Steve had to quickly get out of the car as well to catch up with Livy. It didn’t take more than a few strides to actually catch up to her. “Hold your horses, Missy. I know you’re excited to see your cousins, but you need to settle down a little.”

“Yes, Daddy,” she replied with her cute innocent voice.

They walked up the steps to the porch hand in hand, and Steve knocked on the door.  A scurry of feet was heard, and Lila’s voice saying, “I’ll get it!” followed. The door swung opened to reveal an elated Lila. “Uncle Steve! Livy!” She first gave Steve a quick hug and kiss before giving Livy a huge hug. “Let’s go to my room to play!”

“Ah, ah, ah, not so fast young lady. You need to say hello to Uncle Clint and Aunt Laura first,” reminded Steve.

“Oh yeah.”

Clint came to the door to greet them. “Hey, Steve. How are you doing?”

“I’ve been very busy preparing Livy’s stuff for school. Work has settled down a little though.”

“That’s good to hear. Little Miss Magpie, how are you?”

Livy laughed. “Good.”

“Well, aren’t you going to give Uncle Clint a big bear hug?” Livy jumped on him catching him a little off guard. “Wow! You’re getting heavier! It must be all that muscle you built in ballet.”

Livy just laughed. “Where’s Aunt Laura?”

“She’s in the kitchen putting the last finishing touches on her cake.”

Livy wriggled out of Clint’s hold and skipped to the kitchen. “Hi, Aunt Laura.”

“Hello, Sweetie! How are you?”

“I’m good. Is that cake going to be for us?”

“Yes, it is, but only those who eat all of their food will eat dessert.”

“Ok.”

“Livy, let’s go play now,” Lila urged pulling her.

“Can I go now, Daddy?” she asked using her puppy eyes just in case.

“Yes, you may.”

Lila and Livy scrambled up the steps to go play with Cooper.

“Hello, Laura. Do you need help with anything?” Steve asked.

“Hello to you too, Steve. No, Clint’s already done all the heavy work. I’ll just need your help to eat it.”

Clint and Steve laughed at the comment. “I can assure you, Laura, I’ll eat until I burst. Your food is delicious.”

“Why thank you, Steve. At least someone appreciates my cooking,” she joked.

“Hey, I tell you I love your food,” Clint defended himself.

Laura just rolled her eyes.

“So, Steve, Laura and I didn’t communicate well, and she ended up inviting someone else for the cook-out,” Clint began to inform.

“Oh? Who is it?” Steve asked with his eyebrow raised.

“It’s-” He didn’t get to finish because they heard the front door open.

“Hey, Clint, Laura!” Natasha called out while walking into the living room. “Why is Steve’s car in the-” She stopped when she saw Steve standing in the living room with Clint. “Well, that explains the car.”

“Wait a minute. You guys know each other?” Steve asked confused.

“I was just about to say the same thing,” Natasha said.

Clint nervously laughed. “Well, we’ve known Cap here since we were kids. We’ve known Natasha for about a year now.”

“Now your story makes sense,” Steve mentioned when he put two and two together. “Why didn’t I see it before?”

“You didn’t tell me that you knew the Bartons,” Natasha said a little accusingly.

“I didn’t feel the need to because I didn’t think you’d know them either,” Steve remarked.

“Well, the world gets smaller every day,” Clint put in before an argument started. “How about we all go outside and eat?”

“That’s a great idea, Clint. I’ll go call the kids down while you three take a seat at the table,” said Laura.

She disappeared quickly as she went upstairs.

“Any of you would like a drink?” offered Clint.

“A beer,” Steve answered.

“Did Laura make lemonade?” inquired Natasha.

“As a matter of fact, she did. It’s outside on the table. Here’s your beer, Steve,” he said, throwing the bottle to Steve which he thankfully caught. “Now, let’s go outside. Steve, will you help me start the grill?”

“Of course, just let me take a sip first.” He opened the bottle and took a sip. “I feel like I’m gonna need it,” he muttered to himself.

While Steve and Clint started up the grill, Natasha sat down to wait for Laura and the kids. She was watching the men as they worked, and Natasha couldn’t help but notice Steve’s build in the gray shirt he was wearing. _“Why did he have to wear such a tight one?”_ she thought to herself.

Soon Laura and the kids were outside as well. Steve and Clint had managed to start up the grill and were now ready to start on the hamburgers, hotdogs, and ribs. “Steve, why don’t you go take the orders?”

“Why me? Can’t you do it? It’s your house,” Steve countered.

“It’s my grill, and I happen to make the best grill food,” Clint gloated.

“Fine.” Steve went over to the table. “So what would you guys like? Hamburgers, hotdogs, or ribs?”

“I want a hamburger and ribs,” Cooper answered.

“I do too!” Livy exclaimed.

Steve chuckled, “Oh no, Livy. You’re not going to be able to eat all of that. One thing only.”

Livy frowned. “I want both.”

“Livy, we have chili if you want to eat chili dogs,” Laura cut in.

Livy’s eyes brightened. “Yes! I want a chili dog!”

Steve mouthed a thank you to Laura. “Ok, so far one hamburger, ribs, and one hot dog. What else?”

“I want a chili dog to please,” Lila said.

“I’ll have a hamburger, Steve,” said Laura.

Steve turned to Natasha. “What will you be having?”

“Hmm, it’s really hard to choose, but I think I’ll go with the hotdog and ribs.”

“Ok. So two hamburgers, three hotdogs, and plenty of ribs, right?”

They all nodded. “It’ll be right up.” He walked back to Clint.

“I heard. Pass me the barbecue so that I can put it on the ribs.”

Steve searched for the barbecue on the table by the grill and gave it to Clint.

“What are you going to have?” asked Clint.

“A hamburger and ribs.”

Clint nodded. “So what’s up with you and Nat, huh?”

“There’s nothing going on with me and Natasha. We’re just friends.”

Clint smiled. “Right because just friends dance with each other the way you two danced at the gala.”

“You saw that?” Steve asked.

“I have it on video. Thought I’d video it just in case we need it for the future.”

“Clint, it’s not what it looked like. I just asked her to dance. She went with Bruce, and I went with Sharon. Besides, I’ve only known Natasha for a couple of months, and I’m going to propose to Sharon.”

“Oh?” Clint raised his eyebrows. “When did you decide that?”

“When I went to Malibu.” Clint opened his mouth to say something, but Steve cut him off before he could get anything out. “If you’re going to tell me what a bad idea it is for me to propose to her, I don’t want to hear it. I’ve already heard it from Stark and from Bucky. I don’t want to hear it again. I can make my own decisions.”

“Fine, if you don’t want to listen to wisdom, don’t listen to it. We’re just friends that really care about you and Livy. I’ll just tell you this and I’ll drop the subject. You never danced like that since Peggy died.”

Steve knew that very well himself. For goodness’ sake, he had flirted with her and sang to her something he wouldn’t ever do with Sharon. He pondered what everyone around him had told him about Sharon, yet he didn’t want to let her go. He didn’t know why though. He shook his head to rid himself of those thoughts. This was a time to be happy and hang out as friends. He could think about this another time.

As soon as Clint and Steve finished grilling, they sat down at the table with the rest. The kids were having a great time talking about movies, toys, and cartoons while the adults were having a conversation of their own. Clint and Steve had a good time reminiscing about their childhood and teenage years together.

“You know, this man right here before he hit his incredible growth spurt would try to take on all the bullies in school. Of course, he would get the living daylights beaten out of him. Good thing his mother was a nurse because every day he would get home with either a bloody nose or a black eye. One time he went home with a broken arm. I have no idea how Miss Sarah handled this guy,” Clint was saying.

Natasha shook her head. “You could have gotten seriously hurt.”

“I know, but someone had to stand up for the little guys,” Steve said. “Clint here wasn’t ever much help. I mean, he’s so good at archery, but it never once dawned on him that he could use it on them.”

“The thought would cross my mind, but I didn’t want to kill anyone,” Clint defended himself. “Because of you, I went into the police force.”

“Come on, Clint. We all know you wanted to be a policeman since you were a little kid,” joked Steve.

“I’m sure you two would have tons of fun playing cops and robbers with your friends,” Natasha put in.

“You wouldn’t believe how obsessed they were with that game!” Laura exclaimed. “One time, my friends and I were playing outside when, I think it was Tony, came and grabbed me pretending to put a gun to my forehead and asking me for all of my money.”

Steve and Clint snickered remembering that day.

“Clint came to ‘save’ me from Tony, and that was the day I fell in love with Clint,” Laura concluded.

“Aww!” said Natasha.

“You fell in love with me that day!” Clint asked in disbelief.

“Yes, I did.”

“Clint, when did you fall in love with Laura?” Steve asked.

“I think it was prom,” he answered.

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Laura said.

“I mean, we did date before then, but I just liked her. She was my crush. When I laid eyes on her the night I picked her up for prom, I knew I was in love,” he explained.

“That’s different, Clint. That’s the time you realized you were in love. When did you actually fall in love with her?”

Clint thought for a moment. “I think it was our sophomore year in high school. I hadn’t seen her all summer long, and she just looked so beautiful that first day of school.”

“Why haven’t I heard this story?” questioned Natasha. “I’ve known you two for a year, and I’ve heard none of this.”

“Believe me, I haven’t heard it either, and I’ve known them for as long as I can remember,” Steve let her know.

“I think you two should come more often so that we actually talk about these things,” Laura suggested.

They continued talking until Livy and Lila came up to them. “Daddy, can you play with us?” Livy asked.

“I don’t know, Princess,” Steve replied.

“Please, Uncle Steve. Come play with us,” Lila pleaded.

“Only if Clint plays too.”

“Please play, Daddy,” Lila begged.

“Of course I’ll play,” Clint readily agreed.

“We’re going to play Frisbee then football,” Cooper informed.

“Let’s go play!” Clint shouted.

They all ran out into the field so that the Frisbee wouldn’t go flying into the ladies’ faces. Soon, you could hear the giggles of the girls as they were having fun. They got bored of Frisbee pretty quickly so they were soon playing catch with the football.

Laura and Natasha had been talking until Laura had to put Nathaniel down for his afternoon nap. She found Natasha sighing contentedly as she watched Clint, Steve, and the kids playing.

“Someone seems to be in a good mood,” Laura commented as she took a seat next to Natasha.

“It’s so peaceful out here and watching them play is so relaxing. I never knew how good Steve was with children until now.”

“He loves children. Livy is his pride and joy, but sometimes it seems like he needs a little boy running around as well. It was really heartbreaking to watch Steve in turmoil after Peggy died. I wish we could have helped out more, but we knew you needed us at that time. Steve has a brother and sister and some incredible friends, and you had no one. I only really ever heard how Steve was doing in the months after the funeral. It wasn’t that pretty. No one recognized his behavior. We knew it had hit him hard, but it wasn’t until after that we found out how hard.”

“What happened?” asked Natasha curiously.

“It’s not my place to tell you. You’d have to ask him, but he doesn’t like talking about it. It wasn’t one of his best times. He’s rather embarrassed about it.”

Natasha hummed in understanding.

“It seems like you care for him.”

 Natasha turned around a bit alarmed. “Is it that noticeable?”

“It’s more noticeable that you may have a little crush, and by that look you’re giving me, it’s true.”

Natasha hung her head. “I know, it’s wrong. He has a girlfriend, one that he’s set on proposing to.”

Laura nodded. “Since when have you liked him?”

“Probably since I first laid eyes on him, but at the time, I thought he was married. I shrugged off the feeling until I met Sharon. And then, one day, he invited me to hang out with Livy and him which was the same day we had planned to talk about the poster and flier for my ballet show. He dropped me off at my apartment, and we kissed.” Natasha whispered the last part. She was clearly ashamed of it.

Laura only raised her eyebrows at that.

“The worst thing is that I enjoyed it, and I haven’t thought about anything else. Well, that is, until we danced at the gala. He flirted with me while we danced. He even sang to me. Then we spent a moment together on the balcony. I felt like I was in a dream. Now, my conscience is bothering me.”

“Are you planning on talking about it?”

“Yes, but I’m not sure when.”

“It better be soon, Honey, before things get too far.”

“I know,” Natasha quietly acknowledged.

They observed the guys playing catch/football for some time longer making small talk to fill the silence. Later on in the day, while the kids were resting some, they decided to finally have dessert. Laura had made an apple pie and chocolate cake which were both very delicious. Lila very proudly announced that she had helped to make the pie.

* * *

 

As night began to fall, Clint suggested they make s’mores. Lila and Livy got excited to hear that. It was their favorite part of a cook-out. After devouring as many s’mores their parents let them, they started to get sleepy. Livy, who was sitting on Steve’s lap, let out a big yawn.

“Princess, I think it’s time that we head home,” Steve whispered in her ear while stroking her hair.

“I want to sleep here with Lila,” she sleepily answered. “Please?”

Steve looked up at Clint and Laura. “You know you don’t have to ask, Steve. She’s more than welcome to stay here for the night,” Laura told him.

“Ok, well, say goodnight to everyone, and I’ll tuck you in.”

“I can tuck her in,” Laura offered. “Besides, I’m going to have to give her some pajamas. I think I still have some of Lila’s old ones.” She was already on her way to the house.

“I’ll take her, Steve. You can help Nat by cleaning up a bit. We’ll let you know when you can go up to say goodnight,” Clint instructed.

Clint soon disappeared with Lila and Cooper trailing behind him leaving Natasha and Steve to clean up. They took all the dishes into the kitchen, and once the table was cleared, Steve cleaned it and folded it so that it could be put away. He even emptied the ashes from the grill and cleaned the utensils before Clint called him. He went to say goodnight to Livy and gave her a kiss on the forehead since she was already out like a light. He quietly shut the door to Lila’s room and crept down the stairs. Clint and Laura were in their own little world in the kitchen where they were supposedly washing dishes together. He decided to go outside to gaze at the stars since it was something he couldn’t do every day in the city.

When he got outside, he saw that someone was already out there. “I think our minds think alike,” said Steve to make his presence known.

“The stars are beautiful out here. It’s the best part of Clint’s farm. I usually just come here to spend the night so that I can do this.” She hadn’t torn her gaze from the sky.

“I know what you mean. In the army, I had the privilege to stargaze most every night. It would comfort me on the days I missed Peggy the most.”

Natasha nodded. She hadn’t noticed how close Steve had gotten until she felt his breath on her neck. She slowly turned around to face him which she quickly realized it was a huge mistake. As other times, she instantly got lost in his blue orbs, and before she could process what was happening, Steve’s lips were on hers. She wanted to stop it, but her heart had a different idea. She started kissing back much to Steve’s delight, but once she felt he was starting to deepen it, she quickly broke away and put a little distance between them. Steve looked at her with confusion in his eyes. “What are we doing, Steve?”

Steve looked down at the ground knowing full well what she was referring to. “I don’t know,” he said quietly that it was barely audible.

“You know we can’t keep doing this. You have a girlfriend, and you’re cheating on her. You have every desire to propose to her, marry her, and start a family with her. Please stop doing this. It will only hurt her if she ever finds out.” She mentally added, _“And it will hurt me when you marry her.”_

 Steve nodded. “I know, and I’m sorry. It’s just, how can something so wrong feel so right?”

Natasha shrugged. “I don’t have an answer for that, but just because something wrong feels right doesn’t mean that it actually is.”

Steve stayed silent not knowing what to say.

“I’m going to turn in for the night. If you’re going back home, I hope you have a safe trip, and drive carefully. Have a good night.” With that said, she walked back inside without another look back knowing that if she did, she wouldn’t be able to go. She had done the right thing, but why did it hurt her so much?

Steve stayed outside contemplating Natasha’s words. He knew she was right, but why didn’t he want to let her go? After some time being outside alone, he walked back to the house. Laura was finishing cleaning up the kitchen, and Clint was sitting at the table reading a book. They both looked up at him when he entered the house.

“What’s wrong, Steve? Did something happen out there?” Clint asked hoping he didn’t sound too nosey.

“Nah, I’m just tired. I’m going to head home. I’ll come by tomorrow afternoon to get Livy.”

“Steve, I don’t think it’s such a good idea to drive home this late. You should stay here. We have room,” Laura insisted.

“Thank you, Laura, but I have somethings to take care of tomorrow morning,” he lied.

Both Clint and Laura knew it was not so but kept their mouths shut. They knew something had happened between Steve and Natasha since they both came in with the same sad look in their eyes. Whatever it was, they hoped it didn’t affect Steve and Nat's friendship they had built.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Natasha is very brave for doing the right thing. Will Steve finally come to his senses, or will it take more than that?


	27. Chapter 25

Time flew by for Steve after the cook-out. He had exactly one week to get all of Livy’s school supplies ready. On top of that, he had to plan Livy’s birthday party since it was coming up as well. Thankfully, Livy was on a break with ballet lessons until school started again, so Steve didn’t have to worry about dropping her off and picking her up. The only downside to that was Livy being with him the whole time. He couldn’t exactly plan a surprise birthday party with her around since she was one curious girl. Knowing that Wanda was an amazing party planner and would love to help out, he decided to turn it over to her. He only requested that it be a small family party and that it be held around dinner time. The only ones that he wanted there were Pietro, Allison, Bucky, Sam, Thor, Jane, and, of course, Wanda. They were the closest to him. Wanda happily agreed to help out and readily jumped into planning. With each decision, she made sure she would get Steve’s opinion on it first since it was, after all, his daughter’s birthday.

Before Steve knew it, Livy’s first day of school arrived. He was happy she had reached that milestone, but at the same time, he was a bit sad. His sadness was caused mostly because Peggy had not lived to see it. Peggy and he would talk about raising a family together before they got married, and one particular conversation was their kids’ first day of school. They had agreed that if Steve were still in the army he would be back for that time so that they could take their kid to school for the first time together. Steve had been so busy with getting ready for Livy’s first day that he had totally forgotten about that agreement until the night before. He wished that Peggy were here to do it with him like they had discussed. It only brought many memories of all the good times Peggy and him shared. Another reason why he felt a little sad was because his little princess was growing up. It had finally hit him that he wouldn’t see her every minute of the day anymore. He wouldn’t have her in his office at home or at work drawing and coloring in a corner while he was busy with his own projects as often anymore. All of these thoughts hit him like a ton of bricks as he lay in his bed on Sunday night. His sleep was restless for most of the night. When he finally started to fall asleep, Livy burst into the room and jumped on him. Steve groaned when Livy’s weight fell on top of him.

“Daddy! Daddy! Wake up! I’m going to school today!” she excitedly said while bouncing on Steve.

Steve opened his eyes. He glanced at the clock and noticed his alarm was gonna go off in about a minute. So much for trying to go to sleep. “Good morning, Princess.”

“Come on, Daddy. Get up!” She had already gotten off of Steve and was now pulling his arm to get him out of bed. As she was doing so, his alarm went off.

Steve turned it off with his free hand and sat up in bed. “I’m up. I’m up.”

Livy was satisfied that Steve had already gotten up. “I want to take a bath,” she said.

“Ok, Princess. Go wait in the bathroom, and I’ll be in there in a minute.”

Livy nodded and skipped out of his room. Once she was out, he collapsed backwards on the bed. He was a bit sleep deprived because he couldn’t sleep last night. If only his thoughts would have shut up, he would have gotten a good night’s rest. Now, he wished he had Livy’s never-ending energy. He couldn’t figure out how his girl had so much energy at six thirty in the morning.

“Daddy!” Livy shouted from the bathroom.

He knew Livy was already impatient, so he forced himself to get out of bed. He padded his way to the bathroom. Once in there, he got the bath ready while Livy was dancing around in the bathroom. When the bath was ready, she got in, and Steve bathed her. Unlike other times, he didn’t let her stay in there to play a while. They still had to eat breakfast, and he had to take a shower. He scolded himself mentally for not doing it before.

Steve made a quick breakfast which consisted only of toast and orange juice. He spread the jelly on Livy’s toast before going to take his quick shower. He only hoped that she didn’t get her uniform all sticky.

When he returned back to the kitchen, Livy had already finished and was nowhere to be seen. He picked up her plate and glass and put them in the sink. He would wash them later. Steve made his way to Livy’s room to check if she was in there. Instead, he found her coming out of the bathroom. He looked her over, and apparently, there was no jelly on her. She did have a bit of toothpaste on the corner of her mouth which made him assume that she had just finished brushing her teeth.

“Princess, I’m going to wipe off the toothpaste at the corner of your mouth,” he told her as he made his way to her. He crouched down and with his thumb wiped it off. “Did you brush your teeth?”

“Yes, Daddy. I did!” she proudly answered.

“That’s a good girl. Did you remember to wash your hands after you finished your breakfast?”

She nodded her head. “Yep!”

“Well, then, I guess you’re all set. Let’s get your backpack, and we’ll go.”

“But, Daddy! My hair!” she protested.

Steve’s eyebrows furrowed as he looked at her hair. “What about your hair? It looks fine to me.”

“All the girls are going to have pretty hairstyles. I don’t want it down.”

He finally understood what she meant. “What do you want me to do? Headband? Ponytail? Pigtails? One braid? Two braids?” he asked mentioning all of the hairstyles he knew how to make.

“Pigtails!”

Steve quickly brushed Livy’s hair into pigtails, and once he was done, he let her look into the mirror.

She looked herself over, and a smile broke onto her face. “Thank you, Daddy! Can we go now?”

“Yes, we can, or we’ll be late. We don’t want to get to school late on your first day now, do we?”

Livy shook her head. “I’m going to get my backpack.”

“I’ll go with you in case it’s too heavy.” They went into Livy’s room, and Steve grabbed Livy’s Barbie backpack. He told her to turn around, and he put the backpack on her shoulders. “Is it too heavy?”

“Nope.”

“All right! Let’s get rolling.”

* * *

 

Steve and Livy got to the school ten minutes before 8. He accompanied her to her classroom. Upon entering, they saw that the room was filled with parents and their children. Some parents were taking multiple pictures of their children sitting at their desks and standing by their lockers. Seeing some kids with both parents there with them hurt him a little. Livy didn’t seem to mind, but in her defense, she was four (almost five) years old. He knew Wanda would ask for pictures of her first day, so he pulled out his phone. “Livy, smile.”

She looked at the camera and grinned. Steve snapped a few photos of her. He lowered his phone when he was done. Livy saw he was putting his phone away, and she grabbed his hand to stop him. “I want a picture with you,” she said in her sweetest voice ever.

Steve unlocked his phone and put it in selfie mode. He took a couple of pictures of the two of them. “Ok, Princess, I have to go now. Be good for your teacher, and learn a lot,” he instructed.

Livy looked a bit confused and hurt. “You’re leaving me?” Her lip quivered a little.

Steve crouched down to her level. “Yes, I’m going to work, but I’ll be back in the afternoon to pick you up.”

“Don’t go, Daddy!” she sobbed out. She threw herself into Steve’s arms. “Don’t leave me here!”

Steve was perplexed by her behavior. One minute she was so excited to go to school, and the next she was crying. “I can’t stay here, Livy. No one’s parents are staying. I promise I’ll be back once school is over,” he comforted while rubbing her back.

Her sobbing subsided, and she looked at him. “You promise?”

“Yes, I do. I’ll be back before you know it,” he reassured. He wiped Livy’s tear stained cheeks and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” she sniffled. She also gave him a kiss on the cheek.

He walked to the door, but before actually leaving the room, he turned around and smiled at Livy. Livy smiled back and waved at him. He waved back and left the room. He was still a little bothered by her behavior before he left but assumed it was because it would be her first time by herself for so long with people she didn’t even know.

* * *

 Steve walked into the art studio hoping her could pass unnoticed by Wanda. He knew that he looked like a zombie from the lack of sleep, and Wanda would surely notice. Unfortunately, Wanda noticed him the minute he walked in.

“Good morning, Steve! Did you just drop off Livy at school?”

“Good morning, Wanda. Yes, I just did.”

“I’m sure she was really excited because she couldn’t stop talking about-” she paused. Steve had gotten a bit closer to her, and she saw his face clearly. “What happened to you, Steve? Did you get any sleep last night?”

Steve shrugged.

“Are you having nightmares again?”

“No, I just couldn’t sleep.”

Wanda rolled her eyes. “That’s quite evident. Why couldn’t you sleep?”

Steve stayed silent staring at the ground.

“You know you can tell me anything,” she softly reminded him.

“I know. It’s just kind of hard to get out.”

“How about you tell me in your office?” she suggested as she started getting up from her desk chair.

“But who’s going to be at the front desk? What if someone comes in?”

“Steve, you’re more important than my job. I’ll just leave the ‘Sorry for the inconvenience. I’ll be back in a moment.’ sign.”

“Ok.” Steve and Wanda walked to his office in silence.

When the door was shut, Wanda asked, “Why couldn’t you sleep?”

“My head wouldn’t shut up. I kept thinking and thinking, and I couldn’t stop the flow of thoughts.”

“What were you thinking about?”

Tears start to gather in Steve’s eyes. “P-Peg,” his voices cracks.

Wanda looked at him with sympathy and embraced him. “I know you miss her. I actually told Bucky the other day that Livy’s first day of school could get you emotional. He confirmed my speculation. He told me that this was a day you both looked forward to.”

Steve only nodded because he didn’t trust his voice.

“Steve, look at me,” Wanda said as she pulled away. Steve looked down at her. “Peggy will always be with you. She’s in your heart. Yes, you may not see her, but I can assure you that she was there in that classroom this morning in spirit.”

Steve looked away as he thought about Wanda’s words. She was right, to say the least. “That wasn’t all of my thoughts though,” he quietly said.

Wanda raised an eyebrow at him.

“Livy’s growing up fast. It hit me last night that I won’t get to spend every minute of the day with her anymore.”

“That’s life, Steve. I’m pretty sure your mother felt the same way when you first entered school,” she said trying to lighten the mood a little.

Steve smiled a little. “I guess she did.”

“Steve, she just started kindergarten. It’s not like she’s going off to college.”

Steve’s face went white. “No, I don’t want to think about that yet.”

Wanda laughed. “Well, it seems like you’re a little better, so I’m going to go do my job now.” She opened the door and stepped out.

“Wanda, wait!”

She peeked inside the office. “You need something?”

Steve smiled and shook his head. “Thank you for being there for me.”

Wanda smiled back. “Of course! That’s what sisters are for, right?” With that said, she walked back to her desk.

* * *

 Steve was right on time to pick up Livy. He entered the school and saw all the students gathered outside their classrooms waiting for their parents. As he rounded the corner to get to the kindergarten classroom, he spotted a very anxious looking Livy. He knew that she was still scared that he wasn’t going to pick her up. Livy was looking around, and her eyes met Steve’s. Upon seeing him, she ran to the teacher and let her know that her dad was there. The teacher let her go, and she went running to him. Steve crouched down when she got closer knowing that she would want to jump into his arms, and that’s exactly what she did.

“Hello, Princess!” he greeted as he swooped her up into his arms.

“I missed you, Daddy.” She nuzzled her head into his neck.

“I missed you too, Princess. Did you have fun in school?”

She looked into his eyes. “Yes, Daddy!”

“That’s great! What did you do?”

“I colored. I drew. I heard a story. I ate. I played. I napped.”

“Wow! You did a lot of things! Did you make any new friends?”

Livy nodded.

“What are their names?”

“Rosy and Camy. They’re twins. What are twins, Daddy?”

Steve thought about the best way to answer her question. “Well, twins are two babies that are born the same day and year from the same mother. For example, if Mommy would have another baby the same day you were born, you would have a twin. You’d share a birthday. Also, sometimes twins look alike and sometimes they don’t. A boy and girl can also be twins.”

Livy’s eyebrows furrowed. “I’m glad I don’t have a twin. I don’t want to share my birthday with anyone.”

Steve laughed at her statement. “Well, you don’t ever have to share it with people in your family.”

* * *

 The week flew by. Livy loved going to school now that she was sure Steve wouldn’t leave her there and never come back for her. On top of that, Livy had her private ballet lessons on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons. Steve had been able to avoid all conversation with Natasha. He would only greet her and say goodbye since he was a gentleman. After that night at the Barton’s, he didn’t trust herself around her. But it was more than that, he noticed that Monday afternoon he dropped Livy off that she had a sad look in her eyes when she saw him. To say the least, she treated him a little cold. She wasn’t her usual smiling self around him anymore. He knew deep down that he had broken his feelings, and he felt horrible for it. Despite her cold attitude with him, on Wednesday afternoon she had let him know that she was planning a surprise birthday party for Livy on Friday afternoon with all of her friends that attended the ballet school. She let him know that the party would end around 7, so he didn’t need to pick her up at the usual hour. He was a little surprised that she was doing it and happy because Livy had such a nice teacher. At school, her classmates would also be celebrating her birthday on Friday. The teacher, Miss Roberts, had requested that he bring cupcakes to share with the class. He didn’t know how to bake, but thankfully, Wanda did. She baked all of the cupcakes and dropped them off at his house early Friday morning.

Other than the birthday plans set for Friday, there were plans set for Saturday as well. Obviously, there were the party plans with the family in the evening. However, in the afternoon, Sharon had plans to celebrate Livy’s birthday together. She had informed Steve of her plans a couple of months ago, and Steve made sure to remind her of them so that she could free up her afternoon. That’s the whole reason why she wasn’t invited to the party in the evening, well, other than no one really enjoying her company. Steve knew she move all her work from the afternoon to either the morning or night, so she could only do one thing. The most important to him was for Sharon and Livy to bond. He hadn’t seen that the two had bonded yet, so he wanted that to happen before breaking the news to Livy about his decision. He only hoped that Saturday afternoon would go well for the two of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end of another chapter. I'm pretty sure you realized it was shorter than the most recent chapters I've posted, but I really wanted to write about Livy's first day of school and Steve's feelings. Since I don't remember anything about kindergarten other than naptime, it was a little bit of a challenge for me. The next chapter will focus on Livy's birthday. I kind of want to post it on Friday in honor of Infinity War coming out in my country, so I'm going to try everything possible to get it done.
> 
> Speaking of Infinity War, I got my tickets to watch it on Friday and on Saturday! (Watch it once with my parents and the other with my friends.) I saw the Red Carpet (which was actually a Purple Carpet) Premiere on Monday night live! It was incredible seeing all of the actors, or better said most of the actors, from the MCU coming together at the same time. Ever since that day, I've been really impatient. This week has been officially the longest week of my life, and today has been the longest day of my life. All I know is that, in about 44 hours, I'll finally be watching the long-awaited movie.


	28. Chapter 26

Saturday, August 29, Livy’s Birthday.

Even though it was a Saturday, Livy still had to wake up early. Sharon was coming to pick her up at 8 in order to get to the American Girl Café by 8:45. Sharon had talked to Steve about her plans which included a trip to the American Girl Salon and Afternoon Tea. Steve asked what they were going to do at the salon, and Sharon happily told them about the girl and doll hairstyling, manicure, and ear piercing. She wanted Livy to do all three before their afternoon tea at 2. Steve was a little skeptical about having Livy get a manicure and her ears pierced, but somehow, Sharon had managed to convince him. Steve knew that it was Livy’s birthday, and she would appreciate getting spoiled. He made Sharon promise that she would pick a light color of nail polish, nothing too bright, dark, or flashy since Livy was barely five. About the ear piercing, Steve was a little hesitant about it, but Sharon had told him that since Livy was already in school, she would probably be asking soon why she doesn’t have earrings and other girls do. Steve knew that was true, so he reluctantly agreed. He would rather wait, but he decided to just let Sharon pamper her.

Livy didn’t know anything. All she knew was that she was going to go out with Sharon, and she was not happy about that. She dragged her feet all morning. She didn’t want to take a bath, so Steve had to practically tie her down in the bathtub so that she wouldn’t run out. She took forever in eating breakfast. Actually, when Sharon arrived, she was still at the breakfast bar eating. She was lost in thought when the doorbell rang causing her to jump.

Steve, who had been taking a shower himself, ran to get the door but stopped when he saw Livy was still in the kitchen. “Livy,” he said sternly, “finish your breakfast and quickly go brush your teeth. Sharon’s already here, and you two can’t be late.”

“But, Daddy, I don’t want to go with her,” whined Livy.

Steve sighed. “I’m going to let Sharon in, and then you and I are going to have a quick talk in your room before you leave.” He quickly went to open the door knowing Sharon had been waiting too long. When he opened the door, he said, “Good morning, Sharon. Sorry it took me so long to open the door.”

Sharon chuckled. “Good morning to you too. It’s fine. I’m pretty sure you had a good reason.” Steve motioned that she go in which she happily did. Once Steve closed the door, he turned around, and Sharon kissed him. “So where’s the birthday girl?”

“She should be brushing her teeth right now. I’ll go check. She won’t take much longer.” Steve hurried away checking the kitchen first to see if she was in there. Thankfully, she wasn’t, so he went to check the bathroom. Livy wasn’t in there either, so he checked her bedroom. He found her in there sitting on her bed with a frown on her face and her arms crossed. “Hey, Princess, did you already brush your teeth?” Steve softly asked.

She nodded her head still not taking off the mad face.

“I know you don’t get along very well with Sharon when I’m not around, but give her a chance today. She has a fun day planned out for you. I know you’re going to enjoy it very much. So can you please wipe the frown off your face, and replace it with a lovely smile?” Steve smiled at her in hopes she’d do that.

Livy shook her head.

“Come on, Livy, or the tickle monster will have to come and do its job.” Steve got his hand ready to tickle Livy.

Livy started to smile a little, but being as stubborn as Steve, she quickly tried to hide it.

“Oh, I saw that little smile. I think you do need a little help to get it out.” He started to tickle Livy’s stomach which brought giggles and squeals from out of her.

“Daddy, stop it!” she squealed. “Please stop it!”

Steve tickled her a little longer just to make sure and also because he enjoyed hearing Livy’s giggles. It reminded him of Peggy. Finally, he stopped so that they wouldn’t be late. “All right, Miss Livy, are you ready to go out with Sharon with that beautiful smile you have on your face now?”

Livy slowly nodded her head still not liking the idea of having to spend so much time alone with Sharon.

“Come on. She’s waiting in the living room.” Steve and Livy made their way to the living room.

Sharon stood up when they entered. “There’s the birthday girl! Happy birthday, Livy!” She gave her a hug. “Are you ready to have fun?”

Livy just nodded.

“All right!” She turned to Steve. “I’ll have her home by 3:30.”

“That’s fine with me. You two have fun together.” He crouched down to Livy’s eye level. “Now, you be good okay? Have fun with Sharon.” He gave Livy a kiss and a hug. “I love you.”

Livy returned the kiss and hug. “I love you too.”

Sharon and Livy left the house, but not before Sharon gave Steve his kiss goodbye. Steve waved them off from the door before going back inside. He was hoping with all of his heart that this would do the trick.

* * *

 

Livy’s eyes widened with surprise and excitement when she entered the café. She had always seen the dolls from the window whenever they would pass but had never entered.

Sharon was pleased with her reaction. “So, how would you like to pick out a doll?”

“You mean to buy?” asked Livy.

Sharon nodded. “It’s part of your birthday present from me.”

Livy’s eyes brightened up, and she ran to see what dolls they were selling. She was running from one doll to another until she spotted the one. “Miss Sharon, I want this one.” She grabbed a box from under the doll on display. Sharon went over and read the name of the doll, Isabelle. She had seen it in the catalogue when she contemplated on buying one before her birthday. Isabelle was the ballerina. Of course, Livy would pick her.

“Good choice. We’ll go pay, and get ready for the next part of your surprise.”

“Can I get her a change of clothes?”

“Sure. If you want, get the matching outfit for yourself.”

Livy ran to get the outfit for herself and the doll. “Can I wear it now?”

“After we pay, you can go to the bathroom to change. Are you sure you got the right size?”

Livy shrugged.

Sharon held up the clothes to Livy. “Yeah, I think it will fit.” Sharon paid at the register and asked them if they could take the doll out of the box for her. Once they did, she accompanied Livy to the bathroom so that she could change.

While Livy was in there, she also decided to change her doll. When she got out, she modeled for Sharon.

“That’s a very pretty outfit. Are you ready for the next part?”

Livy nodded eagerly.

“Follow me.” Sharon took her to the salon. “They’re first going to do your hair and your doll’s hair. After that, you both are getting a manicure. The last thing will be getting your ears pierced, and you’ll get to pick your earrings.”

Livy smiled. “Ok.”

The hairstylist showed Livy many different hairstyles before she settled on one. It took around an hour and a half to do both her hair and the doll’s hair. Livy only had to wait around half an hour for the manicure. When it came time to pick the color, Sharon was there to make sure she didn’t choose such a wild color. Livy picked a lavender color for her nails. The manicure took around an hour and a half as well. By the time Livy was to get her ears pierced, it was already 1. The lady who was going to pierce her ears decided to do it on the doll first so that Livy could see how it’s done. But before, the lady had her pick out earrings for the doll and herself. She picked some little heart shaped earrings. Livy observed how they pierced ears and got a little nervous when she saw them sticking the needle in. Livy didn’t like needles at all. When it was her turn, she didn’t want to get them pierced anymore.

“Livy, it won’t hurt. It’s going to be real quick,” Sharon tried to assure her.

“No, it’s going to hurt. I don’t want my ears pierced!”

“Come on, Livy. You’ll get to wear earrings like Isabelle. Don’t you want to match with her?”

Livy nodded.

“Then let’s go sit in the chair so that you can get those earrings.”

“No!” she shouted.

Sharon was startled. “Livy, I’ll hold your hand. You don’t have to be afraid.”

“No! I want my daddy to hold my hand!”

Sharon was at a loss. “Hold on a minute. I think I know what I can do.” Sharon got on her phone and facetimed Steve hoping he’d pick up.

He answered the call a bit confused. “Is something wrong?”

“No, everything’s fine,” Sharon nervously laughed.

“What’s wrong, Sharon?”

“Ugh, fine! Livy doesn’t want to get her ears pierced because she’s afraid. She said she wants you so this is the best I could think of doing.”

“Pass her the phone.” Sharon gave Livy her phone. “Wow, Princess! You look pretty!”

Livy smiled. “Thanks!”

“I heard that someone’s going to get her ears pierced but is afraid to do it,” Steve said getting straight to the point.

Livy nodded. “I want you to hold my hand.”

“I know, Princess, but I can’t be there right now. How about you go sit down in the chair? I won’t end this call until it’s all over. Is that ok with you?” he bargained.

“Yes, Daddy.” Livy did as she was told. She wasn’t as nervous as before, and it sure did help that Steve was on the other end of the line. Before Livy knew it, the procedure was over.

“That’s a good girl, Livy. Keep having fun. I’ll see you later,” Steve said once it was over.

“Thank you, Daddy. I love you.”

“I love you too!”

The call then ended, and Livy returned the phone to Sharon. “You were very brave, Livy. Now that you and your doll are all prettied up, how about we go have a tea party with her?”

“Yes!”

Sharon led Livy to the restaurant side of the building and mentioned the reservation they had. They were ushered to a table that had two seats and a seat for the doll. They were given a menu, and Sharon read off what they had.

Livy decided that she wanted a turkey sandwich, cinnamon roll, and pink lemonade. Sharon got a frittata, blueberry scone, and coffee. When they had ordered, Sharon asked the first question that came to mind. “How do you like school?”

“It’s fun,” Livy answered. “I love it!”

“That’s nice. Do you have any friends?”

Livy nodded.

“What are their names?” Sharon asked, but before Livy could answer, Sharon’s phone rang. She looked to see who was calling. “I’m sorry, Livy, I need to take this call. It’s a bit important. I’ll try to keep it short.”

Livy just nodded. She didn’t mind that Sharon answered the call because she wasn’t in the mood to talk to her. She decided to play with her doll.

When the food arrived, Sharon was still on her phone call. Livy ate her food and pretended that her doll was eating too. Sharon would take bits while the other person was talking. Livy soon started getting bored. She wanted to go home, but Sharon still hadn’t finished her call or her food. Livy sighed loudly to get Sharon’s attention which worked. She glanced over at her and saw she had already finished.

“Could you call me in about fifteen-thirty minutes?” Livy heard Sharon ask. There was silence as the person answered. “Ok, perfect. I’ll be waiting for your call later.” Sharon hung up. “I’m sorry about that. It was something important from work.”

“That’s ok. I want to go home now.”

“Right, it is time we should leave.”

The car ride back to Steve’s house was silent. Livy actually fell asleep hugging her doll. Sharon woke her up when they arrived. Steve had heard the car pull into the driveway and was already waiting at the door. He saw a sleepy Livy walk up the porch steps. He smiled at how adorable she looked rubbing the sleep from her eyes. “Did you have fun, Livy?”

Livy nodded.

“That’s good. Why don’t you go say thank you to Sharon and then you can take a nap?”

Livy nodded again. She turned around and mumbled a thank you and stepped into the house.

“It looks like it tired her out,” Steve commented.

“Yes, I think it did.”

“Did you have a good time?”

“Great, actually! I loved seeing Livy’s eyes shine like the stars when we went inside the shop. She was very excited.”

“She’s been wanting to go in there for a while now. Thank you for spending time with her. It means a lot to me.”

“It was no problem. I enjoyed myself.” Just then her phone rang again. “I have to take this call, and I’d better be going. Work at the office needs to get done.”

“Right. Drive carefully.”

* * *

 

Wanda had been decorating her house all morning with Bucky’s help. Wanda had decided to do a ballerina themed party, so there were a lot of pink decorations. She was setting up some balloons when she gasped loudly. Bucky was hanging streamers up. When he heard Wanda’s gasp, he got startled making him lose his balance on the ladder which caused the ladder to collapse. “Ow,” Bucky groaned.

Wanda saw all of it happen, and she burst out laughing. “What happened to you?”

Bucky, however, didn’t see the grace in all that had just happened. “I should be asking that. When you gasped, I lost my balance. Now, why did you gasp? Is there something wrong?”

“Nope, not one thing is wrong,” Wanda said smiling.

“Then I fell off the ladder for no reason. You scared me, Wanda. I thought there was something wrong.”

“I gasped because I just had the most brilliant idea!”

“Oh no, whatever it is, it’s not a good idea.”

“But you haven’t even heard it yet,” pouted Wanda.

“I know that, but you have that glint in your eye.”

“Just hear me out. I had the idea of inviting Natasha to the party. I’m sure she has nothing to do tonight, and Maggie will be delighted to see her here.”

“You see, bad idea. When are you going to learn to stop meddling in people’s lives?”

“Who says I’m meddling?” Wanda asked. “It’s Maggie’s party, not Steve’s.”

“Liv is Steve’s daughter. If Natasha comes, they will have to talk to each other.”

Wanda smiled. “You said it. I didn’t.” She pulled out her phone and texted Natasha. “There, the invitation is sent. Now, to wait for an answer.”

Bucky rolled his eyes.

A few minutes later, Wanda’s phone buzzed. She quickly took a look at the notification. Her smile dropped some.

“What’s wrong?” Bucky asked after several moments of silence.

“Here,” she passed him her phone. On the screen was a text from Natasha.

**_“Hi, Wanda. Thanks for the invite, but I don’t think it’s such a good idea that I go. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to be there since Livy is such a sweet girl and has captivated part of my heart, but it’s a little complicated as to why I can’t go. I wish I could explain, but I don’t know what to say. Maybe another time. Thanks again for taking me into consideration.”_ **

Bucky furrowed his eyebrows. “What does she mean it’s complicated?”

“I don’t know. Maybe something happened?”

“What are you going to say?”

Wanda held her finger up indicating to wait, and she typed out her response and sent it. She once again passed Bucky her phone. The message read:

**_“If it has something to do with Steve, don’t let that stop you. He can be a jerk at times, I know because I’m his sister. At least come for the cake. You don’t have to stay long if you don’t want.”_ **

Bucky just shook his head. “If she declines again, just leave it at that. You wouldn’t want an argument to start during Liv’s party.”

“I guess you’re right. I just thought Maggie would be so happy to see her here.”

“I’m sure she would,” agreed Bucky.

Wanda’s phone buzzed again. “Here, Buck. I can’t look at it.”

He opened the message.

**_“I’ll see if I can make it.”_ **

Wanda watched Bucky’s face closely, but he had an unreadable expression on. “Well, what does it say?”

“It says that she can’t come at all. She’s too mad at Steve,” he bluffed.

“What? Give it to me!”

Bucky moved his hand from her reach. “Nope. You’re just gonna have to believe me on this one, Doll.”

“James! Give it to me! It’s my phone. Besides, I have to respond.”

When Wanda called Bucky James, he knew she was being dead serious. He handed her her phone back.

She looked at the text. “You little liar! You got me all worried about nothing!”

Bucky started laughing uncontrollably. “You should have seen your face!” he said between laughs.

“It’s not funny. I seriously thought she was mad at Steve. I was about to go over to his house and demand him to tell me what he did to her.”

Bucky stopped laughing. “You aren’t serious about that, right?”

It was Wanda’s turn to laugh. “No, you goofball. I would have waited until he got here. Now, let’s finish decorating the house.”

* * *

 

It was about time for Steve and Livy to leave to her party. He had only told Livy that they were going out to eat, but he didn’t mention where.

“Livy! Let’s go!” Steve called out from the front door while grabbing his keys.

Livy ran down the stairs with her new doll. “Can I take Isabelle, so she won’t be lonely?”

“Of course, you can take Isabelle. Now, let’s get into the car.”

Steve locked the house while Livy got into the car and buckled herself in the car seat. Steve made sure Livy was buckled in before closing her door. After getting in the driver’s seat, buckling himself in, and starting the car, he said, “Princess, we’re going to stop by Aunt Wanda’s house first. She told me she wants to give you a present.”

 “Ok, Daddy.”

“So tell me about your day with Sharon. What did you talk about?”

“I first bought the doll and clothes. Then I got my hair and nails done. Then I got my ears pierced. Then we went to eat, but Miss Sharon got a phone call. So I played with my doll and ate until we left.”

Steve furrowed his eyebrows. “Sharon was talking on the phone the whole time you ate?”

Livy nodded. “I didn’t want to talk to her anyways.”

Steve thought it strange that Sharon did that if she had said she had a great time with her. He’d have to ask her about it later.

* * *

 

They pulled into the apartment complex parking lot. When they arrived at Wanda’s door, all the lights were off in her apartment. This did not go unnoticed by Livy.

Livy cocked her head. “Daddy, why are all the lights off?” she asked.

“I think she’s not home, but she told me where your present is. Let’s go in.” Steve took his key out and opened the door. Steve entered with Livy holding his hand, and he turned on the lights.

“SURPRISE!!!!” yelled Wanda, Allison, Jane, Pietro, Thor, Bucky, and Sam.

Livy jumped a little and held Steve’s hand a little tighter. She was a bit shocked, but soon her smile appeared on her face when she saw everyone that was there.

Each and every one of them said happy birthday to Livy and gave her a hug, kiss, and her present. Steve was beaming with joy to see Livy so happy. He knew that he had successfully pulled the surprise off.

“Who’s hungry?” Wanda asked after everyone congratulated Livy.

“Me!” shouted Livy.

Everyone laughed. “Well, thankfully, I made your favorites,” said Wanda.

If Livy’s eyes could light up more than they already were, they did. Wanda led her to the buffet table she had set out. Before her eyes were mac ‘n cheese, chicken nuggets, French fries, pizza, meatloaf, fruit salad, cinnamon rolls, brownies, cookies, apple juice, and lemonade.  Livy’s mouth started to water at the sight of the array of foods before her. “I want everything!” she exclaimed.

Steve, who had followed Wanda and Livy, stepped beside her, “How about you get a couple of things right now, and then if you’re still hungry, you can come back for more? Because remember, there’s still cake.”

“Ok.”

Steve served her some mac ‘n cheese, a couple of chicken nuggets, a small handful of French fries, and a little bit of fruit salad. The rest then went to serve themselves some food.

When Livy finished eating, she asked if she could open her presents.

“Let’s wait until everyone else is finished eating,” Steve answered her.

“No, it’s all right, Steve. It’s her birthday. She should open up her presents when she wants. We can all finish eating later,” said Jane.

“But, I still haven’t eaten my pizza,” complained Thor. Jane shot him a look of disapproval. “I can eat it while she’s opening her presents.”

“If Thor gets to eat while Livy opens presents, I’m eating as well,” declared Sam.

The ladies just shook their heads. “Well, then, let’s go to the living room so that she can open presents,” Wanda said.

They all went to the living room except for Wanda who started to clear the table to get it ready for cake. Bucky, who had gone to the living room, discreetly looked around for Wanda. When he didn’t see her in there, he left the room. “I thought I’d find you in here,” he said when he found her in the kitchen.

“Yeah, I had to clear the table for the cake. I was just about to go to the living room.” She made her way to the entrance of the kitchen when Bucky grabbed her arm. “Wait, we’re alone right now.”

“Yeah, and?” Wanda asked lifting her eyebrow knowing full well what he meant by that.

Bucky grabbed her by the waist and pulled her in for a kiss. They started to deepen the kiss more when they heard a little gasp. They quickly pulled away from each other and looked to see who it was that gasped. There stood Livy giggling. “I knew it! You two are in love.”

Wanda blushed, and Bucky looked down. His best friend’s daughter just saw them kissing. Buck knew he was screwed. Steve didn’t like Livy to see that sort of thing.

“Look, Maggie, you have to promise us that you won’t say anything, especially to your dad. We’re not ready for anyone to know yet. Can you promise us that?” Wanda pleaded.

Livy smiled. She put both arms behind her back. “Yep. I promise.” While she said that, she crossed her fingers behind her back.

“Thank you, Liv. Now, go to the living room. We’ll be out in a minute. If anyone asks where we’re at, say that we were clearing the table, and we’ll be right out,” Bucky instructed.

Livy nodded and skipped away. When she got to the living room, Pietro asked exactly what Bucky knew they were going to ask. “Where’s Wanda and Bucky? I want to see your presents now.”

Livy smiled her mischievous smile. Steve knew that smile anywhere, and he knew she knew something. “Livy, what’s going on?” he asked.

“Aunt Wanda and Uncle Bucky are kissing in the kitchen,” she said loud enough for Wanda and Bucky to hear.

Wanda and Bucky came out with flushed faces. “Care to elaborate?” Steve asked in his fatherly tone.

“Later,” they both answered. “Today is about Livy.”

Livy giggled and reached for her first present. “That present is from Allison and me,” Pietro let her know. Livy eagerly opened the bag and pulled out her present. It was a UK Barbie doll from the Around the World collection. “Thank you!” she said before moving on to the next present.

She grabbed the next one, and Sam said, “That one is from me. I hope you like it.” Livy opened the bag. Inside there was a set of Shopkins. “Thank you!”

The next one she opened was from Thor and Jane. They gave her the movie Barbie in the Pink Shoes. After that one, she opened Bucky’s present. He gave her a set of crayons and colored pencils. Wanda’s present was opened next. She gave her a baby doll. Lastly, Livy opened Steve’s present. He gave her a big sketching pad. Livy thanked everyone again for the presents going around and giving each one a hug.

“Who wants cake?” Wanda asked.

Everyone agreed it was time, so they went back to the dining room. Wanda went into the kitchen and lit the candles. In the dining room, the lights were off, and when Wanda walked in, they all started singing happy birthday to Livy. Once the song was over, Steve said, “Now make a wish and blow out your candles.” Livy closed her eyes and made her wish then blew out the candles. Everyone clapped, and Wanda turned on the light. She started cutting the cake which was chocolate flavored.

“What did you wish for?” Sam asked Livy.

“Uncle Sam, you know I can’t tell you because then it won’t come true,” Livy said very seriously.

“Aw, come on. You can tell your Uncle Sam. I’ll make sure to talk to the wish fairy and help her out,” Sam suggested eagerly.

“Nope.” Livy pretended to zip her lips, lock them, and throw the key away, something she had learned that week in school.

They had all just started to eat their cake when there was a knock on the door. Wanda’s eyes went wide, and she smiled. “I wonder who that could be?” she said out loud. “Steve, could you go see who’s at the door?”

“Sure,” Steve said a bit suspiciously. He knew Wanda was up to something. He set his cake down and made his way to the door. When he opened the door, he was surprised to see who was on the other side. “Na-Natasha! What are you doing here?” he asked a bit shocked.

“Wanda invited me. I thought you knew, but obviously, you didn’t. I’ll just go.” She turned to leave, but Steve grabbed her wrist.

“Please, don’t go. Livy will be happy to see you. Besides, you’re just in time for cake. It’s chocolate.”

“Well, who could turn down chocolate cake?” Natasha smiled.

Steve ushered her inside. “Wait here,” he said. He went into the dining room and said, “Livy, there’s someone here to see you.”

“Who?” Livy asked curiously.

“Let’s go to the living room to find out.”

Livy scrambled off her seat and ran to the living room. When she saw who it was, she screamed, “Miss Nat! You’re here!” She ran to her and hugged her.

“I couldn’t miss coming to your birthday party,” Natasha told her.

“We’re eating cake. Come on.” Livy grabbed her hand and pulled her to the dining room.

Steve smiled at the interaction between Natasha and Livy. He followed them to the dining room after a couple of moments. When he entered, he saw that someone had already pulled up a chair for Natasha, and she was already eating cake. After the cake was eaten, Livy led Natasha into the living room to show her the presents she received.

“I got this Barbie doll from my Uncle Pietro and Aunt Allison. My Uncle Sam got me Shopkins. Oh! and look! I got this ballet movie from my Uncle Thor and Aunt Jane. Uncle Bucky got me these crayons and colored pencils. Aunt Wanda got me this baby doll, and my daddy got me this notebook. It’s for me to draw in.” Livy proudly let Natasha look through the presents.

“Wow! You got many great presents from your family.”

Livy nodded. “I liked the present you gave me too.”

Natasha smiled remembering when Livy had opened her present yesterday. She had given Livy a purse with a ballerina on it. “I’m glad you liked that present too.”

Livy then hugged Natasha. “I made a wish when I blew out my candles. I want to tell you, but you have to promise you won’t tell anyone.”

“But if you tell me, it might not come true,” Natasha pointed out.

“It will come true. Do you promise you won’t tell anyone?”

“I pinky promise it.”

Livy was confused. “What’s a pinky promise?”

“It’s a promise, but you and the other person wrap their pinky’s around each other, like this.” Natasha grabbed her hand and wrapped her pinky around Livy’s. “And then you shake.”

“Cool!” She moved to Natasha’s ear, cupped her hands around the ear, and whispered, “I wished that you will be my mommy.”

When Natasha heard those words, she was stunned. She wasn’t expecting to hear that. She then felt sad for Livy knowing that that would never happen. Natasha forced a smile and said, “That’s really sweet.”

Livy nodded and left her to go talk to Jane.

Natasha sat there on the floor thinking about what Livy had just told her. Tears threatened to come out, and she knew it was time for her to leave. She couldn’t let anyone see her like this. She wiped her eyes and stood up. “I’m going to go now. It’s getting late, and I have a long drive. Thank you, Wanda, for inviting me. I had a nice time.”

“You’re welcome. I’m glad you could come,” Wanda said.

“You’re leaving already?” Livy asked with disappointed eyes.

“Yes, Livy. I need to go home. Enjoy the rest of your birthday, ok? On Monday, you can tell me all about it.”

“Ok. Bye.” She hugged Natasha and whispered her “I love you.”

Natasha grabbed her purse from the couch she had left it on. When she looked up, she saw Steve standing in front of her. “I’ll walk you out.”

Natasha inhaled sharply. “There’s no need for that. I can get to my car just fine.”

“Oh, come on, Natasha. It’s dark outside. I want to make sure you get to your car all right.”

She hated to admit that he had a point there. “Fine.”

They left the apartment and walked in an awkward silence for a little bit until Steve said, “I’ve been thinking about what you told me that night. You’re right. I shouldn’t have done what I did. I’m very sorry for that.”

Once again, tears started forming in the corner of Natasha’s eyes. Thankfully, it was too dark to see that. She debated on telling Steve what Livy had just said, but before she could gather the courage, he had already started talking again.

“This past week, I’ve hated not talking to you as we used to. I hate it that we’re avoiding each other. I don’t want what happened to get between us. You’re too valuable a friend to let go.”

Natasha nodded. “Yes, I’ve hated it too. I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry too. Friends again?”

Natasha nodded. “Yes, we can be friends again.” By that time, they had already arrived at her car. “Well, I’ll see you Monday.”

“Yes, see you Monday.” Steve watched as she got into her car and started the engine. He waved goodbye to her and watched as the car sped off. He was satisfied that they had gotten back on good terms as friends, but at the same time, he wanted something more. He knew what he wanted, but he was too stubborn to let the other one go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed Livy's birthday chapter. With each chapter that I post, we're one step closer to the turning point. If you want to see pictures of the outfit Livy got and her hairstyle, go to my Wattpad. I'll put the link down below. I also posted a picture of Livy.
> 
> So, today is the long-awaited day for everyone. Infinity War is now in theatres! I'm going to watch it in about 3 hours, and I'm super excited! If someone has watched it already, please don't post spoilers in the comments. This is going to be a spoil free account. If you want to talk about the movie, you can send me a PM on Wattpad, Fanfiction, Amino, or Line. If you want to, you can ask me in the comments for my account name, and I'll gladly give it to you.
> 
> Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/567028300-finding-love-again-chapter-26


	29. Chapter 27

Steve asked both Bucky and Wanda to go to his house on Tuesday, their day off, which coincidentally was the same day. Steve had a lot to talk about with them, and they were well aware. Both Wanda and Bucky knew that Livy wouldn’t be able to keep such a juicy secret, but they had hoped she would keep it for some time. They had wanted to avoid this conversation with Steve until they were sure they were ready for it. I mean, this was Steve’s best friend dating his sister. Both of them knew that Steve would get overprotective even if it was his best friend. Thankfully, he had asked them over to his house while Livy was in school, so they didn’t need to worry about her.

Tuesday morning arrived much too soon for the pair. Bucky had let Wanda know he was going to pick her up so that they would arrive together. Once they got to Steve’s house, they just sat in the car trying to stall the conversation as long as possible.

“I think we should go in,” Wanda said staring at the front door of the house.

“Yeah, I think we should,” Bucky agreed.

“The sooner we get this done the better, right?”

Bucky nodded.

Neither of them made a move to get out. They stayed staring at the house dreading to go in.

Steve, who had heard them pull up, was wondering what was taking them so long to knock on the door or just to go in already. After waiting for some time, he decided to go out and see for himself.

Bucky and Wanda both jumped when they saw the front door open, and Steve poking his head out. “Now we really do have to go in,” Wanda mumbled.

“Hey! You guys planning on staying in the car staring at the house, or are you planning on actually coming in?” Steve called out.

Bucky got out of the car and walked to the other side to open the door for Wanda and help her out.

Steve was a little bothered by that, but that was how he was raised. He wouldn’t expect anything less. “Finally you two decide to come in. Do you want water? Lemonade? Juice?”

“You made lemonade?” Wanda asked a little doubtfully.

“Seriously, Wanda? I can make lemonade if it’s the powder one. That one has instructions on the container. Livy drank some this morning and said it was very good.”

“I’ll have some lemonade, Steve,” Bucky said.

“What about you, Wanda?”

“Water is fine with me, thank you.”

“How about you two go have a seat in the living room, and I’ll be right out with the drinks?” Steve suggested as he started walking towards the kitchen.

Bucky and Wanda entered the living room and sat on the love seat. “It doesn’t look like he’s going to grill us for answers,” Bucky commented to Wanda quietly.

“No, it doesn’t, but we just got here. Who knows what’s going on in that mind of his.”

Steve came back with three glasses and some coasters. “Water and lemonade,” he said as he set the coasters and the glasses on the coffee table. He had served himself some lemonade as well. He sat down on the couch. “So, how have you two been?”

“We just saw each other yesterday, Steve. You know how I’ve been,” Wanda said a little annoyed he didn’t go straight into the conversation.

“Busy, I know that, but it could have changed since yesterday.”

“I’ve been fine. Everything at work is going well,” Bucky answered.

“That’s nice.”

There was a silence among the three and a thick tension in the air. Steve was picking his words wisely. He didn’t want a big argument to come out of this. He should be happy about it, but he was also looking out for Wanda.

Wanda couldn’t take his silence anymore, so she blurted out, “Just say it, Steve!”

Bucky and Steve both looked at her surprised at her outburst. They hadn’t expected that from Wanda.

Steve cleared his throat. “So, how long have you two been dating?”

Wanda looked at Bucky, and Bucky looked at Wanda. “Since May,” Bucky quickly answered.

Steve was surprised, to say the least, that they had dated so long without his notice. “About 3 months then?”

Both Bucky and Wanda nodded.

“How did it happen?”

Bucky once again answered, “I’ve had feelings for Wanda for a long time now. Probably ever since I laid my eyes on her, but at that time she was too young. On top of that, we were seniors in high school about to graduate and go off into the military. I didn’t want to start something that I knew probably would never happen because you never know what can happen on the field. I wanted her to enjoy her adolescence and not have to worry about me. After the accident, I realized I wasn’t going back no matter how much I wanted to. When I got back, Wanda was barely starting her Associate’s Degree to be a secretary, so I knew I couldn’t interfere. Once she finished, I knew I could actually ask her out.”

When Bucky finished, Wanda started, “I didn’t know I had fallen for Bucky until he was already overseas. I started to realize how much I missed him.  Of course, I compartmentalized those feelings to focus on finishing high school and starting college. When I found out about his accident though, I was shattered. I couldn’t believe it. If it weren’t for college classes and homework, I think I would have stayed in that hospital the whole time he was in there. It wasn’t until a few months after Peggy’s funeral that we actually admitted to each other that we had feelings for one another. Bucky told me that he wanted to wait until I graduated to start officially dating so that I could focus on my studies and get good grades the last few months I had left. He kept his promise. Graduation day, he asked me to be his girlfriend.”

Steve was processing all of the information they had just given him and stayed silent looking at the floor. His silence was nerve-wracking for both Bucky and Wanda. They so badly wanted him to say something like if he approved their relationship or not. The silence was almost deafening as they sat there waiting for his answer. He finally looked up. His expression was unreadable which was quite the feat for Steve. He cleared his throat. “This is a lot to process. I’d like to talk to you both one on one.”

That statement was more frightening than his disapproval. “Who do you want to talk to first?” Bucky cautiously asked.

“Well, I was thinking about another day. It’s kind of hard to do it now seeing as you’re both here. Besides, I still need time to process it all. I’ll let you know when I want to talk when and where I want to talk to you two.”

“Steve, I think it’d be better if you just got over it now, for all three of our sakes. I don’t know how long I can go with not knowing that you approve the relationship or not. It means a lot to us, so much so that we were trying to come up with a way to tell you, but Maggie kind of beat us to it,” Wanda said seriously.

Steve looked at his watch to see what time it was. It was still much too early to go pick up Livy from school, so he couldn’t ask one of them to go while he talked with the other. “You two really don’t mind sitting out here while I talk to the other one?”

They both shook their heads. “We just want to get it over with,” Bucky let him know.

“Fine. Buck, I want to talk with you first. Let’s go to my office to have more privacy.” Steve got up and led the way to his office.

Wanda got up and rushed to Steve’s side. “Go easy on him,” she whispered pleadingly.

Steve just looked at her with the unreadable expression still on his face before he kept walking. She felt horrible for keeping this from her brother for so long. She feared that her relationship with him would be broken by this and that his relationship with Bucky would also be broken. Oh, how she wished that she could go back in time and let him know from the beginning. He was her brother, and she loved him dearly. But in times like these, she knew that he was more like a father figure even though there was a three-year difference between them. She yearned for his blessing, and now, she felt that he wouldn’t give it to them.

Once Steve and Bucky were in the office with the door shut, Steve let his emotions show. Bucky could see the hurt and sadness on his face, and he knew that he was to blame. Steve stepped behind his desk and sat down in his chair. “Buck, I’ve known you for a long time. You have always been there for me, saving me from fights and all. You’re like a brother to me; I know that you know that. We have never hesitated in telling each other anything, so I can’t understand why you had to hide it from me that you were interested in my sister.”

Bucky, who was sitting across from him, hung his head. “I guess I was afraid of what you would say and how you would react. I know I should have come to you for permission because you’re the man in the family, the oldest that is. I can assure you that Pietro didn’t even know about it, but of course, he had a different reaction than you did. Being the oldest, I know you have a sense of protecting your younger siblings, and I totally respect that. I know that it was wrong of me to go behind your back and do this. I should have told you, but I was scared.”

“It doesn’t bother me that you want to date Wanda. I think you’d make a great couple. What I don’t like is the secrecy. What I told you at the mall that day, I meant it. I wouldn’t be able to stand seeing Wanda get hurt by a man she claims to love. What would hurt me more is if you were that man. I don’t want you to hurt her because I know that if you do, I would stand by her even if it means ending our friendship. I don’t want that to happen, Bucky, so I’m begging you to please not hurt her. She’s still young and has suffered so much already. First, her parents die, and she gets put into an orphanage along with Pietro where their separation was imminent. Thankfully, my mom adopted them, but after some years, she died as well. I wasn’t here to see that, but I know that Wanda took it hard. Pietro has told me. She doesn’t need to get hurt by someone she loves.”

“Steve, I promise you that I will never hurt Wanda. I would rather die before I hurt her,” Bucky solemnly promised.

“Good, but remember what I said if you do. Now, the question I want to ask is, are you planning on moving in together or marrying her?”

Bucky’s eyes grew wide. “Well, uh, uh, I would like to marry her in the future, but of course, I’ll ask your blessing for that before I ask. As for moving in together, we haven’t reached that stage in our relationship yet. We haven’t talked about it.”

“I was kidding about the moving in part. I don’t have a problem with that as long as you’re both ready. I appreciate that you’re contemplating on asking for my blessing when you do want to marry her. If you weren’t thinking about it, I would end this relationship right now.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. I’ve learned my lesson about keeping things involving your sister a secret.”

“I’m glad. Well, that’s was a nice chat. Now, I have to get through the harder one of the two. Could you send Wanda in?”

Bucky frowned. “Yes, I can, but I thought your conversation with me would be the hardest.”

“Nope, it’s not. I’m actually more disappointed in Wanda than I am in you,” Steve honestly admitted.

“Oh, I guess you would be since she’s your sister. I’ll let her know you’re ready for her,” Bucky said as he stepped out of the office.

He walked a little slowly so that Steve would have a little more time to collect his thoughts. When he entered the living room, a worried Wanda jumped to her feet. “What did he tell you?”

Bucky shook his head, a grim expression on his face. “I’ll tell you later, Doll. He’s ready to talk with you now.” He hugged Wanda before she left to calm her nerves down a bit.

Wanda walked slowly to Steve’s office. She didn’t know what to expect, but seeing Bucky’s face when he appeared in the living room made her think it wasn’t anything too good. The door was slightly opened, so she peeked in. Steve was looking out the window, so she couldn’t see his face. She knocked before walking in, yet Steve still hadn’t turned around. She sat down in one of the chairs and waited. Moments passed, and Steve still had her back to her. She cleared her throat so that he would acknowledge her presence. Ever so slowly, he turned around. His face mirrored the same expressions Bucky had seen, hurt and sadness, but also disappointment. “Why did you keep this from me?” he asked calmly, keeping his emotions intact.

“I don’t know, Steve,” Wanda answered ashamed.

“Ever since you came into my life, I’ve cared about you. Yes, the first couple of months I kind of ignored you because of school and Peggy, but once we bonded, I felt a sense of keeping you safe wash over me. I remember a time you would come to me for advice. I remember when I was overseas, and I’d call you, you’d share everything that was going on in your life with me. I always imagined the day you would come to me to tell me you had fallen for a guy and ask me what you should do about it. Finding out about your relationship the other day and now knowing how long you’ve had feelings for Bucky makes me wonder why you never told me. Is my opinion not important to you anymore?”

Wanda’s eyes were filling with hearing him say all of that. “Of course, your opinion matters to me, Steve,” she said as her voice cracked. “It matters a lot maybe even more than Pietro’s because you’re older and have more experience than he does.”

“Then why keep it hidden from me?”

Wanda let the tears run down her face. “I thought you wouldn’t approve because he’s your best friend, and all I wanted was to date the man I love. I realize now that not telling you was selfish on my part because I knew that if you wouldn’t agree I would never date him. I’m so so sorry that I stripped away the thing you wanted most from me.”

Steve couldn’t take the sight of Wanda crying, so he went over to her and hugged her. He decided not to keep talking until she calmed down a bit. After a few minutes, Wanda’s crying had calmed down. Steve let go of her but stayed with her. “Wanda, you know I love you, and I don’t ever want to see you get hurt, right?”

Wanda nodded her head and sniffled.

“I want what’s best for you. What if the guy you feel in love with wasn’t Bucky and was some guy I don’t even know? Would you have told me?”

“Yes, I would have,” she answered in a whisper.

“I know that you’ve known Bucky for a long time, and I’ve known him longer than you have. I know he’s a good guy and will hopefully never hurt you, but I would have loved to know about your interest in him.”

“I know. I screwed up,” Wanda admitted.

“I forgive you, Wanda, but please don’t do that again.”

Wanda looked up at him. “I promise that I won’t ever do it again. I’ve learned my lesson.”

Steve smiled approvingly. “Now, I’m pretty sure you’re wondering whether or not I approve of your relationship with my best friend.”

Wanda nods. “I’m pretty sure what the answer is, and I’m prepared to break up with him even if it does break my heart.”

Steve was a bit startled at that comment she made. “Um, I was going to say that I approve of the relationship. I think you two would make a great couple.”

Wanda perked up upon hearing that. “Are you serious?”

“Yes, I’m totally being serious,” Steve reassured.

“I was sure you weren’t going to approve because Bucky had the grimmest expression on his face when he walked into the living room!”

Steve laughed. “Well, you don’t know him well enough yet. He doesn’t like giving away information to people who are going to be finding out for themselves later. If he would have gone in the living room with the biggest smile on his face, you would have known before talking with me.”

Wanda thought about it. “I guess I’ll have to thank him for that. Otherwise, I don’t think we would have had this lovely little chat.”

“You are considering it lovely? You cried through most of it,” Steve said.

Wanda smiled. “Yes, I did, but I got to learn something about my brother that I did not know yet, and he gave me permission to date Bucky. That’s why I consider it to be a lovely talk.”

“I’m glad that you’re going to leave smiling and not crying. Let’s go back to the living room.”

When they entered the living room, Bucky had a huge smile on his face. When he saw Wanda, it got bigger.

Wanda went up to him and smacked him on the arm. “How dare you make me think that Steve was going to make us break up!” she scolded playfully.

Bucky just grinned. “It was fun, to say the least, knowing what he was going to say and seeing you walking to his office like you were going to the guillotine.”

Steve burst out laughing at Bucky’s comment. “Did she really look like that?”

“Oh, yes. She was practically shaking. I hugged her to calm her nerves down, but I don’t think it really helped.”

“No, it didn’t because she was waiting for my hug to calm her down. I think that hug I gave her in my office calmed her down a bit.”

Wanda rolled her eyes. “I can’t believe you two.”

“Well, I guess my congratulations are in order for you two now being a couple.”

“Thanks, Steve. We’d better be heading off now. I believe Livy will be out of school soon, so we don’t want to hold you back,” said Bucky.

“You’re right. I’m glad you two stopped by, and we got things sorted out.”

“Me too. Now, we don’t have to worry about hiding anything from you.”

Steve smiled. “That must be a relief.”

Wanda went to give Steve a hug, and she whispered, “I’m going to need to talk to you about a different subject. Let me know when you’re free.”

Steve nodded wondering what Wanda wanted to talk to him about. They said their final goodbyes, and soon Bucky and Wanda were already gone. Steve was satisfied with all that had happened that morning, and he had to admit that he wouldn’t want Wanda marrying anyone else. He knew that Bucky would treat her every way a woman is supposed to be treated. He wouldn’t have to worry about that. All he was worried about was the talk Wanda wanted to have with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was another short chapter compared to how long they've gotten to be. The next chapter will be a time jump of a couple of months. I'm still not sure how many, but I'll make sure it says so at the beginning of the chapter.


	30. Chapter 28

Ever since Steve had decided to propose to Sharon, the months flew by for him. He knew he needed to let Livy know of his decision and get her opinion on having Sharon as a mother. Now, it was mid-October, and he still hadn’t told her. Christmas was about two months away, but he didn’t want to wait until the last minute to tell Livy. He knew he needed to do it soon, so he decided to do it on a Friday afternoon after her ballet class was over. The whole week leading up to the day he was going to tell her, Steve had been preparing how he would break it to her. Before he knew it, it was Friday. All day at work he couldn’t concentrate on his projects, instead, focusing on his speech. The time seemed to go by slow yet fast at the same time. When he was driving Livy from school to ballet, she was ranting on about the new things she learned and what her friends had done that day. The hour of the ballet class went far too quickly for Steve, and he soon was on his way home with Livy.

He had every intention of telling her once they got home, but he decided to stall a little longer. Eventually, dinner time came around, and he still hadn’t told her. Once their dinner was over and he had put all the dishes in the dishwasher, he went to Livy’s playroom knowing she would be in there. He entered and saw Livy playing with her Shopkins that she had received on her birthday. He stood leaning against the door observing her for a little while. Finally, he decided he couldn’t wait any longer. “Princess, can you stop playing for a little bit? I need to talk to you.”

Livy looked up. “Yes, Daddy.” She put the toy she had in her hand on the floor as Steve walked in and sat beside her on the carpet.

“What do you think about Miss Sharon?” he asked.

Livy shrugged her shoulders. “She’s ok.”

“Just ok?”

Livy nodded.

Steve frowned a little at that. “Do you like spending time with her?”

“I like it when she buys me stuff,” Livy innocently answered.

It didn’t exactly answer his question, but it would have to suffice for now. Livy had turned away from him and started playing again since she didn’t want to talk about Sharon. “Livy, I need you to look at me. I need to tell you something, and I want to know if you’re ok with it.”

That certainly caught Livy’s attention, and she once again looked back at him. “What is it, Daddy?”

“On Christmas, I’m planning on proposing to Miss Sharon. Do you know what that means?”

Livy shook her head.

“It means, I’m going to ask her to marry me, and if she says yes, she’ll be your new mother.”

When she heard that, Livy turned away to hide her scowl.

“Livy, I need to know what you think about that.”

She turned around, scowl still on her face. “I don’t want her to be my mother,” she said as she crossed her arms.

That was a curveball for Steve. He hadn’t been expecting that statement. He had pictured her squealing with joy, but this reaction was quite the opposite. “Why is that?”

“I don’t wike her! She’s mean! She doesn’t pay attention to me!” she yelled.

“Young lady, don’t you talk to me like that, and stop lying. All she’s been is nice to you. I’ve always seen her paying attention to you,” Steve sternly said.

“That’s when you’re around! She treats me differently when we’re by ourselves!”

“Livy, that’s nonsense!”

Livy’s scowl got deeper. “I don’t want her to be my mother! I don’t want you to marry her! I don’t want her to live here!”

That set the fuse for Steve. “Olivia Margaret Rogers! What has gotten into you? That is no way to talk to me! And you have no right to tell me what to do!”

“I don’t care! You don’t love me!” she cried out. “If Sharon’s going to be my mother, I want to live with Aunt Wanda!”

“Olivia, because I love you, I’m going to ask Sharon to marry me, and she will be your mother! That’s final. I know you may not like the idea now, but you’ll get used to it. She loves you, Livy! Just give her a chance!”

“No, she doesn’t love me!” she screamed.

“Olivia! Stop the screaming right now!”

“NO! I DON’T WANT HER TO BE MY MOTHER!” she screamed again, but this time with tears streaming down her face.

Steve was getting frustrated with her. He ran his hand through his hair. “Olivia Margaret! Go to your room, and come down and find me when you’re temper has subsided!”

Livy scowled some more and mumbled, “I hate you.”

“What was that?” Steve asked raising one eyebrow at her.

She looked up. “I said, I hate you!”

Steve was hurt by Livy’s words, but he was too angry at her right now. “You want to go to Wanda’s house?”

Livy nodded.

“Fine! You can go to her house, and you can stay there until you can learn to appreciate my decision and apologize for your behavior and words!”

“Fine!” Livy ran out of the room and hid under her bed knowing Steve would go into her room to pack a bag for her.

Steve was soon in there with a small suitcase and started dumping clothes into it along with her comb, brush, toothbrush, and other necessities.

When Livy heard the zipper of the suitcase zip, she crawled out under the bed and dashed to the door to go out. She knew Steve would be right behind her. Sure enough, he was. The ride to Wanda’s apartment was silent the air thick with angry tension. When he pulled into the parking lot, he realized that he hadn’t called ahead to let Wanda know Livy would be spending a couple of nights with her. He didn’t really bother letting her know now, so he just went up to her apartment. Livy had run all the way up there and had knocked on the door already.

Wanda was with Bucky enjoying a nice dinner when the knock was heard. They both looked at each other a bit confused. “Are you expecting company?” Bucky asked her.

Wanda shook her head. “At least I don’t think so.” She checked her phone to see if anyone had called or texted her. Finding nothing, she decided to just go see who it was. Upon opening the door, she saw Livy standing there. “Livy! What a pleasant surprise! Where’s your dad?” Livy just walked in without saying anything. That’s when Wanda noticed she was mad. She looked out and saw Steve in the corridor. When he came to a stop, she noticed that he was also mad. She looked down and saw a small suitcase. “Steve, what happened?” she asked a bit concerned.

“I don’t want to talk about it right now. Livy’s staying with you for a couple of days. Here is her stuff. If she needs anything else, just swing by the house and pick it up. Sorry if it’s an inconvenience right now, but she really needs time to think.”

“Steve, please tell me what happened,” urged Wanda.

Steve ran his hand through his hair. “I told her I’m going to ask Sharon to marry me, that’s what happened!” he snapped.

Realization dawned on Wanda’s face. “Steve, I wish you would have waited until after our talk that you keep pushing aside.”

“And you’re bringing that up again!” Steve said annoyed throwing his hands up in the air. “I’ve told you a thousand times that I’ve been a bit busy. Once things settle down at work, we can talk.”

“Ok, Steve, I think you need to cool down. I’ll talk to Livy, and tomorrow morning, we can sort all of this out,” Wanda told him nicely.

“Yeah, fine, whatever,” Steve answered as he walked away.

Wanda watched him leave and closed the door once he was out of sight.

“What was that all about?” Bucky asked, startling Wanda a bit.

“I’ll tell you later. Right now, I need to talk to Livy.”

“She went into the guest room and fell asleep. She was crying a bit, so I asked her what was wrong. She never told me. I held her until she fell asleep, but she seemed pretty shaken.”

“Steve told her already. It seems as if he’s still going to go with his plan,” Wanda sighed.

“Oh. I don’t think she took it so well.”

“He didn’t take her reaction so well either. I’m going to try to help them sort things out tomorrow.”

“Would you like me to stay in case you need help with Livy?” he asked.

Wanda smiled. “As much as I would love it, I don’t think Steve would be too happy if you spent the night over when Livy’s here.”

Bucky pulled Wanda in for a hug. “I’m going to head home now. If you need anything, call me.”

“Yeah, ok. Don’t worry too much. If you’re planning on going to see Steve, I don’t think that would be the best option right now. He needs to let out a little steam.”

“I wasn’t planning on it, Doll. If it’s about Sharon, he’s not going to listen right now.”

Wanda looked up to gaze into Bucky’s eyes before pulling him in for a kiss. “Drive safe.”

“I will. Hope everything goes all right tomorrow with Steve.”

“I’m sure it will.” She saw him to the door where they shared another short, sweet kiss before he left. Now, Wanda was alone with Livy. She knew she needed to talk to her in the morning before going to see Steve to get Livy’s side of the story. For now, she needed to clean up and go to bed.

* * *

 

After dropping off Livy at Wanda’s house for the night, Steve went back home. Being alone gave him time to think about Livy’s and his reactions. He suddenly felt guilty for yelling at her and saying those awful things he said. He knew he had to fix it as soon as possible but found himself avoiding it. At home, his mind wouldn’t shut up, and the regret and guilt built up more and more inside of him.  So he decided to do the thing that he vowed he never would do again-get drunk.

When Peggy died and Livy was staying with Tony and Pepper, he would go to the bar to drown out his feelings of sadness. It was the only way to get rid of the pain piercing his heart, but, of course, actions have consequences. It became a habit of his to go every night to the local bar until he just decided to buy bottles of liquor instead. Days would pass, and no one heard anything from him. Wanda became concerned that her brother wasn’t answering calls or texts, so she decided to pay him a visit one day. Upon entering the house, she immediately noticed something was very wrong. The once clean, bright house was now covered in filth. All the curtains and blinds were closed causing the whole house to be dark. Bottles of beer and whiskey were scattered on the floor and tables. Walking into the living room, she found Steve passed out on the couch, a half-empty beer bottle on the table next to him. Wanda was surprised that Steve had come into this state of self-destruction. She always saw him as someone that was strong emotionally and never once saw his vulnerability. She blamed herself for not checking up on Steve as often as she should have. He might’ve not come to this. She had pushed those thoughts aside and started thinking about his and Livy’s well-being. She didn’t want Livy to have a father who was a drunk, so she told Bucky to watch over Steve and keep him company until everything subsided. He was thankful that Wanda had done that for him because he would have ruined Livy’s life for sure. Since that time, he hadn’t once stepped into a bar with the goal to get drunk until now.

When he got there, he sat on a bar stool and order a glass of whiskey. He had just ordered his fourth one when a familiar voice called him. “Steve Rogers! What a surprise to see you here! I didn’t take you as a man to hang out in a bar.”

“Oh, hey, Natasha. I’m surprised to see you here too. And about this, I don’t drink very often, at least not to get drunk. I also didn’t take you as a drinking woman.”

Natasha laughed. “I’m Russian, of course, I drink, but with my career, I don’t do it often.” The bartender gave Steve his drink, and Natasha ordered a vodka. “So where’s Livy?”

“At Wanda’s house. It’s their night for a sleepover.” He downed his drink and asked for another one.

“How many have you had?” she asked motioning to his empty cup.

“The one I just ordered will be my fifth,” he answered casually.

Natasha’s eyes widened. “I’m guessing you’re trying to get drunk.”

Steve nodded his head.

“How often do you get drunk?”

“Well, I have to drink a lot to actually get drunk because my metabolism is kind of fast.”

“Oh, but I didn’t ask that. I asked how often do you get drunk?”

“I haven’t gotten drunk for more than a year.”

“Why is that?”

“After Peggy died, I was actually on the verge of becoming a drunk, but Buck saved me from that.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Yeah, so now I try to stay away as much as possible. I do drink every once in a while especially since I have Tony Stark as a friend, but I never get drunk. I have a little girl, and I’d hate for her to see her dad in that state. This is an exception because she’s staying the weekend at Wanda’s.”

Natasha nodded. “And you’re trying to get drunk with that?” Natasha motioned to his cup.

“What’s wrong with that?”

Natasha just shook her head and called the bartender. “A vodka for my friend over here. It’s on me.”

“Oh, no. First, I’ll pay. Second, I’m not the type to drink that.”

“Tonight, Rogers, you will. I can tell something’s bothering you, and it’s most likely something you want to forget. Vodka is the way to do it.”

Steve shrugged. The bartender gave Steve his glass of whiskey and a glass of vodka. He reached for the whiskey, but Natasha moved it away. “Hey, that’s mine you know.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to drink it. I want you to drink the vodka first.”

Steve looked at her and then at the glass of vodka. He picked it up and drank it like he would drink a glass of whiskey or beer. Once he set the cup down, he had a face of disgust. “That stuff is very strong. You can feel it burn in your throat.”

Natasha smiled as she took a sip of her vodka. “That’s what I like about it.”

Steve drank his whiskey, and to Natasha’s surprise, he asked for another glass of vodka.

“I thought you didn’t like it,” smirked Natasha.

“I never did say that. I only said it’s strong and burns your throat. Besides, I’m pretty sure this will do the trick.”

Natasha nodded. “Before you get too drunk, what is bothering you?”

Steve shook his head. “I don’t want to talk about it now.”

“Ok, that’s fine.” She took another sip of her vodka as Steve received his. She couldn’t believe how fast he would drink one glass. She watched as he downed one glass after another after another. Of course, they were making small talk, but she had felt he didn’t want to talk much right now. When he actually started talking, she heard the effect of all the alcohol he had just taken in.

“Do you know how pretty you look tonight?” he slurred.

Natasha looked down at her clothes and just shook her head. She was wearing a pair of faded jeans, a t-shirt, and a light sweater.

“You always do.”

Natasha started getting a bit uncomfortable, so she decided to ask him something. She couldn’t quite think of what to ask, so she asked the first question that popped into her mind. “What’s your greatest fear?”

“My greatest fear,” he slurred, “is that Livy will grow up and forget Peggy, forget what it’s like to have a real mother.”

Natasha noticed that Steve had gotten a bit closer to her, and when she looked into his eyes, she could see the desire in them. “I know you won’t ever let Livy forget Peggy, and she will know what it’s like to have a real mother. Don’t worry about that.” She pretended to look at the time before she said, “Wow! Look at the time! It’s getting late. Why don’t I make sure you get home ok?”

“Aw, come on, just one more drink.”

“No, Steve, you’ve had enough. It’s time for you to go home.” She helped him to his feet. He got a little dizzy and started to fall to the side. She quickly grabbed his waist and tried her best to pull him up. Thankfully, she parked her car close by, so she didn’t need to worry about walking a long distance and supporting his weight. She drove to his home as quickly as she could so that he wouldn’t pass out in her car. He was heavy enough with him helping keep himself up. She couldn’t imagine trying to haul him into the house if he passed out. He was ranting about stuff, but she didn’t pay any attention. Once there, she asked him for his house keys. He looked in all of his pockets before she decided to just look herself. When she found them, she unlocked the door and looked for the light switch. She led him upstairs assuming that the master bedroom was up there. Sure enough, she was right. She helped him sit on the bed and pulled the covers down. “I’m going to leave some aspirin and water on the nightstand for when you wake up,” she let him know. She turned around and bumped into his chest. Once again, he was looking at her with desire. Before she knew what was happening, he leaned down and kissed her wildly. She, however, pushed him off once it registered in her mind what was happening. Steve pouted, but Natasha would have nothing of it.

“Come on, Natasha. I know you want it as much as I do,” he slurred.

“You’re drunk, Steve. Besides, I won’t let you cheat on your girlfriend more than you already have.”

“But I love you, not her,” he whined.

Natasha’s breath hitched in her throat. “Steve, you’re not in your right mind. You’ll wake up and not remember what happened. Don’t say things you don’t mean. She pushed him onto the bed and forced him to lie down. I’ll text you tomorrow to check up on you.” She turned to leave, but he reached out to her.

“Please, don’t go.” He looked at her with the puppy eyes she had seen Livy use numerous times.

“Fine, I’ll stay, but only to watch out for you. Tomorrow, you’re going to have a major hangover, and you don’t have anyone to take care of you. I’m going to sleep in one of the other rooms, so call me if you need anything.”

“Stay with me,” he said.

Natasha sighed. “Only if you promise you won’t try anything and if you’ll let me sleep on top of the covers.”

Steve nodded.

She knew this was a bad idea, but she would be sure not to be in bed when he woke up. She lay down on the bed beside Steve and turned her back to him. Steve’s breathing had already evened out. “Good night, Steve,” she said before she drifted off into deep slumber.

* * *

 

The next morning, Natasha was awoken by incessant knocking on the door and someone calling out for Steve. She was slightly disoriented, but she quickly remembered where she was. She tried to get up, but there was something heavy draping over her. She looked over and saw that she was entangled in Steve’s arms. She immediately started to panic. How had that happened? She had slept on top of the covers. She quickly looked down and saw she was under the covers now.

The knocking continued, and she heard Wanda’s voice saying, “Steve Rogers! Open this door right now! I need various explanations!”

Steve started waking up. The minute he opened his eyes, he regretted it. He groaned very loudly and draped his arm over his eyes. That gave Natasha the opportunity to answer the door. Before she opened the door, she glanced at the clock. It read 10:45 A.M. She opened the door slightly and slipped out.

Wanda, who had been leaning against the wall, looked up. “So that is your car in the driveway,” she smirked.

“Wanda, it’s not what you think. I stayed the night because I found Steve in a bar. I had plans on just staying for about an hour, but after seeing how much and how quickly Steve was drinking, I stayed. He’s in there right now with a major headache. Well, I’m pretty sure. He did wake up for a bit, but the light must have hurt his eyes. Now that you’re here, I’m going to go.”

“Wait a minute. What did you say?” Wanda asked not wanting to believe what she had just been told.

“Steve got very drunk last night, and he has a massive hangover right now. I stayed just in case he needed anything, and now I’m going to leave since you’re here.” She grabbed her purse and car keys.

“Ok, I heard right,” Wanda said to herself. “Natasha, could you stay until I finish making a phone call?”

Natasha sighed. “Ok, but after that, I’m leaving.”

“Thanks a million. I owe you one.” She rushed outside to make the phone call.

“Yeah, you certainly do.” She walked back into the room to see if Steve was awake. “Hey, Steve,” she whispered.

“Leave me alone,” he said as he turned over in bed.

“I just came to check up on you,” Natasha said as she sat on the bed.

He got a little surprised as he finally recognized the voice. He shot up in bed but quickly plopped back down because the movement had caused his head to hurt worse. “Ow.”

“I left you some aspirin on the nightstand. Did you take it already?”

He shook his head.

She grabbed it and handed him the aspirin and water which he gratefully accepted. He quickly swallowed it and drank all of the water.

“Please tell me that we didn’t…” he began.

Natasha shook her head. “No, we didn’t. You tried, but I didn’t let you.”

Steve breathed a sigh of relief. “So what exactly are you doing here then?”

“Well, I stayed the night because one, you asked me to and two, you were alone and someone needed to take care of you. But don’t worry, I’ll be leaving soon. Wanda is here, and she went to make a phone call which is taking her a bit longer than I thought.”

Steve nodded his head. “Thanks for being here.”

Natasha smiled. “That’s no problem.”

**Meanwhile…**

Wanda was staring at the phone number on the screen. She didn’t want to call it, but she knew that it would be her responsibility soon so why not start now? She pressed the call button before she chickened out.

It rang and rang, but there was no answer. It finally stopped ringing and the answering machine started saying, _“You have reached Sharon Carter. I’m sorry, but I’m not able to answer right now. Please leave a message, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”_

Wanda hung up with a frustrated sigh. She knew that she was at work today, but she could at least pick up the phone. She went back into the house and expected Natasha to be sitting in the living room. When she saw she wasn’t there, she went to Steve’s bedroom. Just as she expected, Natasha answered the door. “Thanks for staying a little longer.”

“It’s no problem. Are you going to need a little help?”

Wanda smiled. “Thanks for offering, but I need to do this myself.”

“Where’s Livy?” she asked noticing she wasn’t there.

“I dropped her off with Tony and Pepper. Something happened last night, and she doesn’t want to come home.”

“Oh, I see. I guess it’s the reason why Steve got drunk.”

Wanda nodded. “Unfortunately. What happened last night made me realize I need to have a talk with him soon. I was planning on doing that right now, but it seems like I’ll have to wait until later.”

Natasha nodded. “Well, I’ll be going now. Tell Steve that I said bye and that I hope he gets better soon.”

“I will.”

Natasha left wondering what could have happened for Livy not wanting to go home and for Steve to get drunk. She had seen something was troubling him, but he hadn’t wanted to talk about it. It probably is for the best that she doesn’t know. Besides, it’s not like she’s his girlfriend to actually demand an answer. If Steve wanted her to know, he’d have told her, so she just left it at that. She only hoped that the issue would get solved soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another update! I actually had part of this chapter already written, so it didn't take me long to write the rest. I hope it didn't feel too rushed. For me, this is not one of my best chapters probably because I haven't been around drunk people that often. I mean, I've read and seen them on the streets, but I've never personally interacted with one. I hope I portrayed it somewhat good. Anyway, I know all of you are eager for the breakup, and I promise you that will be very soon.


	31. Chapter 29

Wanda took care of Steve all day long even though he didn’t want her to be there. He knew she wanted to talk to him, but he wasn’t ready for it. He knew Wanda wanted to speak about Sharon. Wanda had never liked his relationship with Sharon, but he always thought she was jealous. Now, he wasn’t so sure. He was tired of people trying to talk him out of marrying Sharon. It was as if he were a lovesick teenager that couldn’t think for himself. As evening came, he no longer felt the killer headache from that morning. He was back to his normal self, well, more or less. He still felt guilty about what he had said to Livy, but she wasn’t here with him or Wanda. He didn’t even know whom she was with.

Wanda so graciously cooked him dinner, and they both ate in an uncomfortable silence. She had opened her mouth several times to say something, but she would just close it again. After both Steve and Wanda cleared the dishes from the table and had started up the dishwasher, Wanda finally broke the silence. “Steve,” she said with all seriousness, “we need to talk.”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” Steve coldly answered. “I appreciate all you’ve done for me today, but I really think you should leave now.”

Wanda laughs bitterly. “You really think I should leave? How do I know you’re not going to repeat last night? It was pure luck Natasha was in the same bar as you. Who knows where you’d be if it weren’t for her. Besides, there is something I’ve been wanting to talk to you about. Now that you aren’t busy, it’s the perfect time to talk.”

“I promise you I’ll stay here tonight. I don’t think I want to go through another hangover. As for me not being busy, I actually have some work to catch up on.”

“That can wait.” Wanda grabbed his hands and pulled him into the living room. “You obviously know what the subject of what I want to talk about is, and I know you don’t want to talk about that. But, Steve, for the good of Maggie, you need to hear me out.”

Steve sighed in frustration. “Fine.” He sat down on the couch and looked at the floor waiting for her to begin.

“I should have told you all of this as Livy had been telling me, but for some reason, I listened to her pleas to not tell you. Now, it’s time you should know. If you don’t believe me, you can always ask Thor, Jane, and Darcy. I know Livy has shared some things with them as well.” Wanda paused to collect her thoughts and find the best place where to start. “So, you have seen Livy and Sharon interacting, but you don’t know how they get along when you aren’t present.”

“Of course, I know how they get along. They are all smiles when they come back from an outing together, and they both tell me they had a wonderful time,” Steve scoffed.

“Have you ever considered that Sharon has been lying and putting up an act?”

“Now, why would she do that? She loves Livy just as much as I do. She doesn’t need to lie about that or pull an act together. I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”

“How about I tell you what Sharon has done and said to Livy over the course of the months?”

“Go on ahead.”

“Well, before Peggy died, she said that she never wants to have any kids.”

“She could have changed her mind,” Steve interrupted.

“Steve! Let me talk!” Wanda snapped at him. She wasn’t too fond of his cocky demeanor. “It actually surprised me that she agreed on dating you. At first, she would get along well with Maggie, but it was all an act. After a while, she started to get bored every time you asked her to spend some time with Maggie alone, so she started letting her work interrupt her and eventually, she just stopped spending time with her altogether. Maggie would either be at the office waiting until Sharon got off of work so that she could come home or with me because she would ask Sharon to take her to me. Maggie tried very hard for Sharon to like her, and she tried her best to learn to love Sharon. She would give her pictures she drew or colored, but Sharon would brush them aside. Many times, she would find the drawings in the trash. When she wanted to hug Sharon, she would tell her to get her dirty hands off her work clothes. Trying to give Sharon a kiss was also a complete disaster. You know that Maggie’s kisses can be slobbery at times, so when she gave Sharon a kiss, she yelled at her for all the saliva she put on her cheek, claiming that she would mess up her makeup. Because of all those little things, Maggie started retreating into her little shell whenever she was with her. So you wouldn’t find out about this, Sharon started telling Maggie to lie to you. She would bribe her with candy, toys, and clothes. Of course, she never mentioned to Maggie that she couldn’t tell me, so she told me everything. After a while, Maggie got stubborn and didn’t want to cooperate with what Sharon told her to do. It bothered Sharon and stressed her out, so she began threatening her that once she marries you, she’ll send her to boarding school. Once Maggie found out what that was, she got terrified and meekly started to follow every order Sharon gave her. On top of that, if you haven’t noticed, she bails out on most important events in Maggie’s life, like the ballet performance. She also bails out on you because of work, yet you still want to marry her,” Wanda finished, hoping that this would get Steve to open up his eyes and stop this.

 Steve was silent for some time, and Wanda started to think that she had gotten through to him. Unfortunately, she was wrong. “Wanda, I can’t believe anything of what you just told me. That’s not Sharon. She’s always spoken kindly to Livy and treated her with all the love and care in the world. As for her bailing out on us, I understand what type of job she has. It’s not easy trying to run a company that’s on the other side of the world. She has long hours, sometimes staying up all night because one of her company branches in Europe is having problems. She also travels a lot to either open up a new branch or to check to see how the branch is doing, who needs to be fired and who needs to be promoted. She’s a busy woman, but she’s told me that once we get married, she will focus more on Livy and me than her work.”

Wanda snorted. “You actually believe that?”

“Yes, Wanda, I do. She’s never given me a reason to not trust her word.”

“Steve, if she can’t take the time off to focus on Maggie and you right now, what makes you think she’ll do so once you’re married?”

“She gave me her word.”

“For your information, Steve, I called her this morning to let you know what state you were in. I was going to ask her to come take care of you. You know what happened? She never answered the phone, and she never called me back. I _never_ , and I mean never, call her. I would expect she would be surprised and call me back to see if there was anything wrong, but oh no, she did not do that. Do you want to know what that tells me? That tells me that when you get sick, she won’t bother to take care of you and nurse you back to health. Her job and money will be more important than your health. Don’t get me started on explaining Maggie’s part!”

“Wanda, you’re overreacting. Sharon is planning a business trip to Italy for next month. She must be really busy with that right now. I don’t mind that she didn’t come here today. I could have gotten by just fine on my own.”

Now, it was Wanda who was starting to get frustrated. “Steve, you’re clearly not listening to me! Don’t you remember the time Sharon had to pick up Maggie from her ballet class? She arrived late by an hour and a half!”

“She was an hour late because she misunderstood the time. The half-hour was because she was held up by a call. She apologized to both Natasha and me.”

“Has she gone to pick up Maggie from school yet? Does she know what Maggie’s been learning?” Wanda challenged him.

“No, she has not picked her up from school yet because I haven’t asked her. Yes, she knows what Livy’s been learning!” Steve retorted.

“You know what, Steve? Your thick-skulled brain doesn’t want to accept the fact that marrying Sharon is a mistake. You keep coming up with excuses for everything she does! I’m tired of sitting around watching you take steps toward the worst decision you can ever make in your life! I’ve told you all of this because I care about you, but I especially care about Maggie. She’s young and has been through a lot. She deserves a loving, caring mother, and I can assure you that it’s not Sharon. I will tell you this only once. If you really care about Maggie, you will listen to her and not marry Sharon. If you don’t do that, you will regret it very much! She will never be the same if you do. Maybe she’ll still love you, but the happy go lucky Maggie, the Olivia Margaret Rogers everyone knows and loves, will not be the same, and it will be your fault. I know you fear of ruining her life, but the path you are on now will ruin her life. So I suggest you reflect on everything I’ve just told you before you go on and make more plans for the future.” With that said, Wanda got up and left the house leaving Steve to lead with his thoughts.

Wanda left Steve that night with a lot to think about, the more he thought about it, the more confused and doubtful he became. He wasn’t so sure what he was going to do anymore, and it only took a half hour of conversation to make him unsure. He wanted to believe that Sharon wasn’t just pulling an act, but Wanda had seemed so sure that she was. Wanda’s last words were enough to haunt him, to say the least. That night, he didn’t get any sleep, but this time it wasn’t because he was thinking about Peggy. His thoughts tormented him all night, and his mind and heart were in conflict with one another.

The next day, Livy came back home and apologized to Steve for how she answered him and especially for saying that she hated him. He readily forgave her and apologized for his actions as well. He was glad to have his daughter back home with him and in his arms, but his thoughts wouldn’t shut up.

As the month of October slowly came to an end and November came to a start, and as the weather had started turning colder, Steve noticed that Sharon had resigned herself from their lives a little more. He tried to brush it off. Whenever he’d ask the reason why, Sharon would just tell him it was because the business trip to Italy she was going on in November. He tried to believe her, but now, he had the feeling there was something more. She did agree to go on a date with him the night before going to Italy which he was thankful for. At least, she still wanted to spend time with him before she left. He was mentally getting himself ready for that night, but the events that would happen leading up to that date night he was anticipating would throw everything in a curve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another update! I know this chapter was very short, but it's an essential part of the story. Steve is very stubborn, but at least Wanda planted the seed of doubt in his head.
> 
> You'll be glad to know that I already have the next chapter written. I've had it written for some time now. I'm going to edit it today, and I'll post it tomorrow.


	32. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I give you, the long-awaited chapter!

* * *

 

It all started on a Monday afternoon when Livy’s stomach started hurting. She was drawing in her dad’s office while he was working on the website for the ballet school. She all of a sudden dropped her crayon and lied down on the floor.

“Daddy,” she moaned. “I don’t feel so good.”

Steve immediately stopped what he was doing and looked away from the computer to see Livy curled up in a ball lying on the floor. He quickly went to her and kneeled next to her. “What’s wrong?” he asked with concern.

“My tummy hurts.”

He took her in his arms and started rubbing her back. “Is that all?”

She shook her head while tears started rolling down her cheeks.

“What else do you feel?”

Before Livy could answer, she threw up on Steve. “Oh, boy. That’s not a good sign.” Steve stood up and carried her to the bathroom. He was aware that he needed to clean himself up, but he also had to take care of Livy. He decided to call Wanda for some help.

 **“Hey, Steve. What’s up?”** Wanda said upon answering the phone.

“Hi, Wanda. I need a little bit of help. It’s an emergency.”

 **“What type of emergency?”** Wanda’s voice changed from her usual cheerful tone to a serious, concerned tone.

“Livy is sick. She told me her stomach hurt, and right after that, she threw up. I was holding her, so you can imagine the state I’m in. I need to clean myself up, but I can’t leave Livy alone. I’m going to take her to the doctor after I clean up. Could you please come watch her while I shower and clean up the office?”

**“Oh my, Steve, that’s terrible. Of course, I’m on my way. Does she have a fever?”**

“I totally forgot to check that.” He immediately touched Livy’s face to see.

 **“Really, Steve? That’s one of the first things you’re supposed to do!”** Wanda scolded.

“I know. It just slipped my mind. And she does feel a little warm.”

 **“Take her temperature. I’ll see you in a bit.”** With that, Wanda hung up.

Steve took out the thermometer and put it in Livy’s mouth. Once it beeped, he took it out, and sure enough, she had a fever of 101.4 degrees Fahrenheit. Steve got a rag, moistened it with cool water, and rubbed it down on Livy’s face. She threw up once again before Wanda arrived, and thankfully it was in the toilet this time.

Wanda let herself in since she knew Steve would be with Livy. “Steve!” she called out.

“I’m in the bathroom!” he answered.

Wanda rushed into the bathroom and saw Steve rubbing the rag on Livy’s face. “Oh, Maggie, baby! Aunt Wanda’s here. Everything’s gonna be all right.” She wrapped her arms around her and started stroking her hair. “Steve, you go along and clean up so that we can take her to the doctor sooner.”

“Right.” He gave the rag to Wanda and went to clean up the office and then took a quick shower.

While he did that, Wanda kept rubbing the rag on Livy’s face and stroking her hair. Livy was still crying a bit from the pain.

“Does it hurt a lot?” Wanda asked gently.

Livy nodded. “I want my mommy,” she whispered.

Wanda’s heart broke. “I know you want your mommy, but she’s no longer with us.”

“Then I want Miss Nat.”

That remark touched Wanda’s heart. “Maggie, you know she can’t come. She’s still giving ballet classes.”

Livy didn’t answer. She instead buried her face in Wanda’s shoulder and started falling asleep despite the pain. That’s how Steve found Wanda and Livy.

“Let’s go,” said Steve, taking Livy into his arms. “Can you grab my car keys?”

“Steve, we can take my car. I’ll let you drive,” offered Wanda.

Steve wanted to argue about how he didn’t want her car to get dirty, but he knew it would only waste time. Besides, Wanda was already out the door and unlocking her car. Steve ran and gave Livy to Wanda; then, he rapidly locked his house and got into the driver’s seat. “Can you call Nat-Miss Romanoff and let her know Livy won’t be attending the ballet class this afternoon?”

“Of course,” Wanda smirked. She noticed that he was about to call her Natasha. She had actually noticed this slip up numerous times, but Steve always caught himself before he said the full name. She knew Steve didn’t want Wanda hearing him call Natasha by her first name even though it had slipped from his mouth once or twice without him noticing it. Putting all those thoughts aside, she dialed Natasha’s number and let her know. When she hung up, she said, “Natasha told me to tell you that she’s really sorry Livy’s feeling bad, and she hopes she gets better soon.”

Steve just nodded in response. He drove as quickly as he could without breaking the speed limit. Once they got to the pediatrician, Steve darted out of the car, forgetting to close the door and take the key out of the ignition, and took Livy from Wanda. Wanda sighed knowing she would have to close up the car and grab the keys, but she wouldn’t scold him for forgetting to do so. When Wanda got into the waiting room, she saw that other than Steve, there was a mother with her child. Livy was already awake. She was sniffling again, and her face was contorted with pain. Wanda sat next to Steve. “Who’s first, the lady or you?” Wanda whispered.

“The lady, but she told me to go on ahead and go first since she’s only here for her child’s checkup. She clearly saw that I wasn’t. Of course, I told her not to worry, and let her know I’d wait, but she insisted.”

“That was nice of her.”

Steve and Wanda remained silent, waiting for their turn. Steve was rubbing Livy’s back to comfort her. He hated seeing his daughter in so much pain because it made him feel useless. To be honest, he didn’t know what to do. Yes, Livy had gotten her fair share of colds during that first year of Peggy being absent, but Steve had never seen her in this state. He felt hopeless. It seemed like hours before they got attended, but it was finally their turn. Steve explained what it was that had happened to the pediatrician, and Livy only said that her tummy hurt really badly. The pediatrician took a look at her and asked if she was attending school. Steve confirmed she was. The pediatrician concluded that it was a stomach infection that she could have picked up in school. She prescribed the medicine Livy needed to take and wrote down the instructions. After they left the doctor’s office, they drove to the pharmacy and picked up Livy’s medicines. Once they were home, Steve gave Livy her first dose of medicine and put her to bed. Livy fell asleep right as her head hit the pillow.

Steve went downstairs to get a bucket to put by Livy’s bed just in case she needed to throw up again. He was surprised to see Wanda still sitting in the living room. “I thought you had gone already.”

“I thought about it, but I first wanted to offer my help. I can stay here tonight so that you can get your sleep.”

“Thanks for offering, Sis, but I can get by on my own. I need to be there for her.”

“I understand. If you do need any help, I’m a phone call away.”

Steve smiled sadly at her. “Thanks.”

* * *

 

The next day, Livy was still feeling pain but not as much as before. The only problem was that she didn’t want to eat anything. She said she wasn’t hungry. Steve shrugged it off thinking it to be side effects of the medicine she was taking. The day after, Steve had a meeting down at his office and was about to cancel it when Livy came walking into his office saying she felt a little better. She said she wanted to visit Uncle Tony and Aunt Pepper.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Princess. You need to rest more,” Steve tried to reason with her.

“But I want to go see Aunt Pepper! I promise I’ll be good. I can watch movies on the couch,” she pleaded. Seeing that Steve was going to say no again, she used her puppy eyes knowing that he wouldn’t be able to resist them.

Seeing those eyes, Steve knew he couldn’t say no. “Ok, I’ll let you go as long as Tony and Pepper say it’s fine.”

Livy smiled. “I already asked them, and they said yes.”

Steve was taken aback. “When did you ask them?”

“Yesterday, when they came to visit me.”

“All right, I’ll take you. But first, you need to eat breakfast.”

“I’m not hungry yet,” said Livy.

“Does your stomach still hurt?” questioned Steve.

“No,” Livy lied. Yes, her stomach still hurt some, but she wanted to go to see Pepper.

“I hope it doesn’t, but even though you say it doesn’t, you still have to take your medicine,” Steve explained.

“Ok,” Livy answered disappointed. “Then can we go?”

“Yes, then we can go see Aunt Pepper and Uncle Tony.”

Steve stayed true to his word. Just as soon as Livy took her medicine, Steve took her to Stark Tower. They were greeted by Tony when they arrived. Steve asked if Pepper was available because he wanted to give her some instructions. Tony told Jarvis to call Pepper to the common room, and she was soon there.

“Hi, Steve, and hello, Livy!”

Livy gave Pepper a hug then went to lie down on the couch. “I hope I’m not imposing on leaving her here,” Steve told Pepper.

“Oh, it’s no imposition. It’s our pleasure to take care of her. You go do what you need to do,” assured Pepper.

“Thanks. Before I go, Livy hasn’t eaten yet, so make sure she eats breakfast and some lunch. She says she’s feeling better but ask her every so often just to make sure. Also, I’m not sure how long I’ll be out because I have a meeting, and I don’t know how long it will take and if Dan needs anything to be done while I’m there. After I leave the office, I need to pick up some groceries, and then I need to-”

“She’ll be fine,” said Pepper cutting in to stop Steve’s rambling. “Just give me the medicine. What time does she need to take it?”

Steve handed her the medicine. “She needs to take it in six hours.”

“All right, I’ll make sure she takes it, and I’ll make sure she eats.”

“Call me if something happens.”

“I will. Don’t worry. Now, go to your meeting,” Pepper prodded.

Steve said goodbye to Livy, Tony, and Pepper. He felt a little uneasy leaving her with them, but he didn’t know why. He trusted Tony and Pepper-truth be told he trusted Pepper more than Tony-so he didn’t understand his uneasiness. He pushed that feeling aside and tried to focus on his meeting.

**At the Tower…**

“Livy, do you want anything to eat?” Pepper asked just as soon as Steve left.

“No, I’m not hungry.”

“All right, I’m going to go do some work, and I’ll be back.”

“Ok.”

Pepper got on the elevator and left. Tony, who had been in the kitchen getting something to eat, saw Livy lying on the couch doing nothing. “Ok, Munchkin, let’s watch tv. What do you want me to put on?”

Livy put on her thinking face which was almost an exact replica of Steve’s. “I want to watch Sleeping Beauty.”

“Sleeping Beauty?”

“Yes. You do have it, right?”

“No, I don’t, but we can find it on Netflix,” said Tony before Livy started to throw a fit.

Tony searched Netflix for the movie and played it once he had found it. Tony didn’t really watch the movie because it wasn’t in his interests. Besides, he was too busy checking to see if Livy was all right. About midway through the movie, he saw that Livy’s face had changed from relaxed to uncomfortable like something was bothering her. “You all right, Munchkin?”

She turned towards Tony. “Yeah,” she replied quickly.

Tony knew that she wasn’t. He kept on observing her, and he noticed how she would squirm a little bit. “Are you sure you’re ok? Does your stomach hurt again?” he asked with concern after a few minutes had passed.

“Yes, my stomach is starting to hurt again,” she replied weakly.

“How much does it hurt?”

“It hurts a lot,” she moaned. She started to sit up so that she could find a comfortable position to lie in to relieve the pain, and that’s when the unthinkable happened. Livy fainted.

Tony saw that she became limp and was falling onto the floor. He jumped up off of the couch and ran to catch her. At that precise moment, Pepper walked into the room.

“What on earth happened, Tony?” she demanded when she saw that Livy was half on the couch and half in Tony’s arms with her eyes closed.

“Pepper, call an ambulance, now!” Tony yelled desperately.

“Why? Whatever happened?”

“She fainted.”

Pepper froze. “Well, can’t you just sprinkle water on her?”

“No, I can’t. Right before she fainted, she told me that her stomach was hurting a lot. I think it has to do something with that. Now, call the ambulance!”

Pepper searched her pockets for her phone, but she couldn’t find it. Tony saw how she was frantically searching for it, so he decided to just tell Jarvis to dial 911. The operator picked up, and Tony immediately asked for an ambulance at Stark Tower and explained everything that happened. The ambulance was at Stark Tower within minutes, and soon, Livy was on her way to the ER. Pepper went in the ambulance with Livy while Tony drove to the hospital. Once at the hospital, she was quickly whisked away into an examination room. They had asked Pepper questions, and she had answered them as best as she could. They had a slight idea what Livy could have, but they were going to do an ultrasound first to make sure. A nurse came out to tell Tony and Pepper what was wrong.

“So, I did an ultrasound on your daughter, and we found that her appendix ruptured. We are prepping her for surgery right now.”

Tony and Pepper both blushed. “We aren’t her parents,” Pepper explained. “We are her Aunt and Uncle. We were just taking care of her.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I assume you’ve already contacted her parents.”

Pepper shot a glance at Tony, and he grimaced. With all the rush, he had forgotten to call Steve. “We have that under control,” Pepper answered sweetly.

The nurse then excused herself and went back to the operating room.

“Why haven’t you called Steve?” Pepper inquired.

“I forgot,” Tony sheepishly said.

“Well, then, what are you waiting for?”

“Oh, come on, you call him. The last time there was bad news, I had to break it to him. I don’t want to do it again. He’s going to get so mad at me. He’ll think that something bad always happens to his family when they’re with me.”

Pepper lost her patience. “Shut up, and call him already!” she whispered loudly to him to not attract attention by yelling.

Tony sighed and rolled his eyes. He got up, walked outside, and dialed Steve’s number. He hesitated a little before pressing the call button, but he knew that it had to be done. It rang once, twice, and Steve picked up.

**“Hello?”**

“Hey, Steve.”

Tony heard Steve sigh loudly. **“You know what, Stark? It’s getting on my nerves that you call me every time I’m doing something important.”**

“For one, I don’t always call you when you’re doing something important,” Tony bluntly stated. “And two, Steve, you need to hear me out.”

 **“It better be important, or I’m hanging up the phone.”** Steve was clearly annoyed at Tony.

“Steve, I’m at the hospital. Livy was having a stomach ache and fainted. We called the ambulance, and they took her to the ER. The nurse just told us that her appendix ruptured, and she’s being prepped for surgery.” There was a deafening silence on the other side of the line. “Steve, you still with me?” Tony asked nervously.

**“Yeah. What hospital are you in?”**

“Bellevue Hospital.”

 **“I’m on my way.”** And with that, the phone call ended.

Steve couldn’t believe what he had just heard. He was having a difficult time processing it. Why did things like this always happen to him? Was the world against him? He excused himself from his clients and explained it was a family emergency. He gathered up his stuff and dashed down the hall to the exit.

“Woah! What’s got you in such a hurry?” Wanda asked seeing her brother whiz by.

“Livy’s in the ER. I’ll explain later.” Then he was gone.

Wanda couldn’t believe it. She felt so bad for him. It has been around a year and a half since Peggy died, and now, Livy’s life could quite possibly be in danger. The fear that she saw in Steve’s eyes was the same fear she saw when it was Peggy’s viewing and funeral. She could only hope and pray that Livy would be all right.

Steve sped to the hospital all the while thinking he should call Sharon to let her know what was going on and to cancel their date. Once he parked in the hospital parking lot, he pulled out his phone and called her.

**“Hey, Steve! Why are you calling at this time of day? Not that it upsets me.”**

“Sharon, I called you for two reasons. One, I can’t make it for the date tonight.”

 **“But Steve, you can’t cancel! We have reservations!”** Sharon protested.

“I have to cancel Sharon! Livy’s in the ER right now being prepped for surgery or maybe she’s already in surgery! Her appendix ruptured!” Steve shouted at her.

Sharon was taken aback by Steve’s tone of voice. He had never spoken to her that way. **“Babe, calm down. We can work it out. I’m sorry that Livy is in the hospital, but she’ll be fine. We can still go on our date.”**

“ARE YOU NUTS?! I NEED TO BE HERE FOR MY DAUGHTER! AND I SUGGEST THAT YOU COME DOWN TO BELLEVUE HOSPITAL RIGHT AWAY!”

**“Calm down, Steve. You’re overreacting. Look, I can’t go down to the hospital right now because I have to get ready for my trip to Italy. I’m leaving tomorrow morning, remember?”**

“OH MY GOODNESS, SHARON! I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU! YOUR TRIP IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN MY DAUGHTER?”

**“Well, Steve, I’ve had this trip planned for a while now. It’s a very important business trip. It can change a lot of things for the company.”**

“IF YOU REALLY CARED ABOUT LIVY, YOU’D BE HERE RIGHT NOW! I CAN’T BELIEVE HOW BLIND I WAS! I CAN’T BELIEVE I DIDN’T LISTEN TO MY OWN SISTER’S ADVICE!”

**“Whatever are you talking about, Babe?”**

“NOW, I SEE YOU’VE NEVER REALLY CARED FOR LIVY! FIRST, YOU’VE BEEN BAILING OUT OF OUTINGS THAT I WANT YOU TO GO ON WITH US, AND NOW, YOU DON’T EVEN CARE THAT LIVY’S LIFE IS IN DANGER! DON’T EVER SHOW YOUR FACE AT MY HOUSE OR AT MY OFFICE EVER AGAIN! WE’RE OVER, SHARON!”

**“You’re _breaking up_ with me?”**

“YES, I AM!” declared Steve.

**“YOU CAN’T DO THAT!”**

“YES, I CAN, AND THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT I’M DOING!” With that, Steve ended the phone call. He felt like a fool for trusting Sharon for so long, but he just now realized that everything she did was an act. He was angry at himself. He calmed himself down a little bit. He realized he still needed support from someone. But who would come comfort him? Then it struck him. He searched for the phone number and dialed it. He waited for the person to pick up.

**“Hello, this is Natasha Romanoff.”**

“Thank God you answered. I didn’t know who else to call. I need you to come down to Bellevue Hospital. Livy’s in the ER. Her appendix ruptured, and she’ll be having surgery.”

Natasha was a bit stunned by the news, but she quickly regained her composure. **“I’m on my way.”**

Steve made his way to the ER, and as he got in, he spotted Tony and Pepper sitting in the waiting room. “Any news?”

“Livy’s in surgery right now,” Pepper answered as calmly as she could.

Tony, however, didn’t hear the question at all. Instead, he blurted out, “What took you so long, man?”

“I was making some phone calls,” Steve simply answered.

Tony made a disgusted face. “Ok, I’ll be leaving before Sharon gets here. Thanks for the warning.” He started to get up to leave but was stopped by Steve’s answer.

“No, that won’t be necessary. Sharon isn’t coming. Natasha is.”

“Wait, what? Why isn’t Sharon coming? And why is Natasha coming? Did you even call Sharon to let her know?” Tony spit out.

“I don’t want to talk about it now,” Steve said bitterly.

“Ok, but you owe me an explanation later.” Pepper slapped Tony on the head. “Hey, watch the hair! And what was that for?”

“He doesn’t owe you any explanation. If he doesn’t want to tell you, he won’t tell.”

About ten minutes later, Natasha came rushing into the ER waiting room. She saw Steve and ran to him. “How is she?”

Steve, who had been staring blankly at the floor, moved his gaze towards the redhead. “There’s no news yet. All we know is that she’s in surgery right now.”

Natasha nodded, not knowing what else to say. Steve then got up and pulled her into his embrace and started to cry. He had been trying to hold back his tears, but now, he couldn’t keep them from falling. “I’m so glad you’re here,” he whispered into her hair.

“I don’t mean to pry, but where’s Sharon?” she whispered.

“Not coming. I’ll tell you later.”

They stood in each other’s embrace for a minute longer until someone coughed. “You know, if you guys want, I can see if there’s a hospital room free. You can continue in there.” That voice belonged to Tony.

They pulled back from each other, and Natasha glared at him while he earned another slap to the head from Pepper which made him immediately shut up.

Natasha had no idea what to do. She had never seen Steve so broken, so emotional. She couldn’t even imagine how it felt to have your only true love ripped away from you, and a year later seeing your daughter’s life in danger. On top of that, his girlfriend wasn’t even there to show her support. She was a little curious to know why, but she knew better than to ask about that now. Besides, Steve told her he’d tell her later. Natasha could only guess that he called her for emotional support, but she honestly didn’t know how to do that. No one ever cared for her, so she didn’t really know how to care for others. But seeing the situation Steve was in, she pushed all of that aside and tried her best to show her support. She sat down on the chair next to him and held his hand. As time went on, she rested her head on his shoulder. She noticed that he had relaxed a little bit, but worry was still evident on his face.

Tony and Pepper left about ten minutes after she had arrived making sure that he would be okay before leaving. He was unresponsive, drowned in his own thoughts, so she assured them she’d take care of him and would make sure he called once he got news.

About an hour and a half later, a doctor came out. “Mr. Rogers?” she called out.

Steve immediately bolted out of his seat. “That’s me.” Natasha walked over to him to hear what the doctor had to say.

“I’m Doctor Helen Cho. I was the one who operated on your daughter and will also be the one monitoring her for the next couple of days.”

“Please tell me that my daughter is ok,” pleaded Steve.

“She’s fine. Once we confirmed she had a ruptured appendix, we immediately got ready for surgery and gave her anesthetics. We removed the appendix and cleaned out her intestines as well. Right now, they are taking her to a recovery room. She’s still under the effects of the anesthetics, but we hope she wakes up soon. She’ll need to stay here for two to three days just to make sure there are no further complications. Just as soon as she’s all set up in her room, you can go in to see her,” explained Dr. Cho.

Steve calmed down some more after hearing the news. “Thanks,” was all he could say.

“I’m just doing my job. My question is why didn’t you bring her in sooner? Didn’t she have symptoms?”

“I didn’t bring her in because her pediatrician told me that she had a stomach infection, but I guess I should have sought out a different opinion.”

“I see,” she said thoughtfully. “I’ll come to get you just as soon as she’s settled in her room.”  Dr. Cho walked away leaving Steve and Natasha.

Steve turned to Natasha and embraced her. “Thank you for being here for me. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you,” he whispered into her hair.

“It was my pleasure to be here,” she simply answered.

Steve then let fresh tears fall. He had almost lost his baby girl, his princess, his only connection to Peggy. He couldn’t bear the thought of it.

“Steve, it’s all right. She’s going to be just fine,” he heard Natasha tell him while rubbing his back.

At that moment, all of the hustle and bustle of the ER was forgotten. It was as if they were the only two in the room. Natasha comforting Steve while Steve held onto her like she was his lifeline.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I realize I left it on a bit of a cliffhanger, but hey, I gave you the breakup. I will let you know that there will be more to it. 
> 
> Next chapter will be posted on Monday since I'm busy during the weekend.


	33. Chapter 31

It wasn’t long until Dr. Cho came back in. “Mr. Rogers, I can take you to her room now.”

Steve got up as well as Natasha. They both started to follow Dr. Cho. She turned to make sure Steve was following her and saw Natasha as well. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but only family is allowed to see her right now.”

Steve saw Natasha’s look of disappointment, so he quickly thought of a way that would let her go in as well. “She’s my fiancée.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Rogers, I didn’t know. In that case, you’re more than welcomed to tag along.”

Natasha gave Steve a surprised look. She grabbed his arm so that he wouldn’t go follow Dr. Cho right away and released it when she felt there was a reasonable amount of distance between Dr. Cho and them to talk to him without Dr. Cho suspecting that they weren’t following her. “What was that? Fiancée? Really?” she whispered.

“It was the first thing that came to mind on such short notice.”

“I could’ve stayed behind. She needs you right now, not me.”

“I saw that look of disappointment, so don’t go telling me you don’t want to see her,” he argued. “Besides, I know she’ll want to see you when she wakes up, and I think who she needs right now is you.”

Natasha couldn’t think of any answer to that. They walked in silence the rest of the way. Dr. Cho stopped outside of room 320. “This is your daughter’s room. She can’t have any visitors that aren’t family today, but tomorrow anyone is welcome during visiting hours.” She opened the door to the room, and Steve and Natasha walked in. “There’s a button beside the bed. Push it when she wakes up, and I’ll come immediately.” That said, Dr. Cho left the room.

Steve rushed to the bedside to see Livy. She was hooked up to monitors and had an IV in her. Her face looked so peaceful.

Natasha had stayed behind near the door. She didn’t want to disturb Steve. She observed him as he lovingly stroked Livy’s hair and whispered in her ear. She could see his eyes brimming with unshed tears. He kissed her on her forehead and left her side. “Don’t you want to come see her?” he asked quietly.

Natasha made her way over while Steve pulled up a chair. “I know you may want to get home and all, but can you stay here until I get back? I need to go clear my head. A lot has happened today, and I haven’t processed it all. I also need to make a few calls explaining what happened. Call me if she wakes and asks for me. I’ll try not to take too long.”

“Are you going somewhere in specific, or are you going to stay on the hospital premises?”

“I’ll be staying on the hospital premises, so I can be close by just in case. I’ll call you before coming back to see if you want something to eat.”

Natasha nodded. She couldn’t believe he was leaving his daughter, but she knew that he had to let his family know what had happened. At least he trusted her enough to leave Livy in her care. She watched him as he quietly slipped out of the hospital room. She looked back at Livy’s peaceful face. “Please, wake up. Your daddy needs you,” she whispered to her. She grabbed her hand and started drawing circles on the back side. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep on the chair. She didn’t know how long she was asleep when she started hearing whimpers.

“Mommy! Mommy!” Livy was whimpering.  Natasha jolted awake. She saw Livy tossing her head a little. “Mommy!”

To say the very least, Natasha didn’t know what to do. She definitely wasn’t her mother. For goodness’ sake, her mother was dead. This could be one of the side effects of the anesthetics. “Hey, baby. It’s all right. You’re going to be okay,” she tried to soothe. She grabbed her hand again.

Livy slowly woke up when she felt the contact. “Mommy?” she asked groggily.

“No, it’s Miss Nat. You’re going to be fine.”

“Miss Nat?”

“Yes, I’m here. I’m not leaving.”

Livy started coughing a little. Natasha sprung up and filled a cup of water so that Livy could drink it to moisten her throat. She took the cup over and helped her drink it. Once Livy finished drinking the water, she asked, “Where am I? Where’s Daddy?”

“You’re in the hospital. You fainted while you were at Tony’s house, and he brought you here. You had to have surgery, but that already passed. Your dad is outside. He had some phone calls to make, and some thinking to do. How are you feeling?”

“Sleepy.”

Natasha reached over and pressed the button to call Dr. Cho. “Once the doctor gets here, I’m going to step out and call your dad. Okay?”

Livy nodded.

Not long after, Dr. Cho entered the room. “It’s good to see you awake!” she said sweetly. “I’m Dr. Cho, and I’ll be taking care of you while you’re in the hospital.” She started checking the little girl’s vital signals. “How do you feel?”

“Sleepy,” Livy answered.

Then Natasha stepped out of the room and dialed Steve’s number.

 **“Is she awake?”** was the first thing he said when he answered the phone.

“Yes, she’s awake. Dr. Cho is actually in there right now checking her.”

**“I’ll be right there. How do you see her?”**

“A little out of sorts. She was calling for her mom before she woke up.”

**“Oh, good thing you were there. Do you want me to get you something to eat?”**

“Thank you, but no. I think I’m going to go in a bit.”

 **“Oh, ok,”** Steve answered with disappointment. **“About your question earlier, the one about Sharon-”**

“Don’t worry,” Natasha interrupted, “I don’t need to know.”

**“I know, but I want to tell you.”**

“When this all blows over, we can talk. Right now, you need to focus on Livy.”

**“You’re right.”**

“I hope you’re making your way over here while you’re talking to me,” she said, trying to lighten the mood.

**“Actually, I’m in the elevator now. I’ll be there in two minutes.”**

“I’m counting.”

 **“Yeah, I knew you would,”** Steve chuckled.

Natasha ended the phone call. True to his word, he appeared not long after. “So how did I do?”

“You’re one second late.”

“Pretty much on time. Is the doctor still in there?”

“Yep, she is, but I’m only out here because I was waiting for you.” She then realized what she said. “I mean, I stepped out to call you and-”

“No explanation needed. I knew what you meant by that.”

There was an awkward silence between them. “Well, I’d better be going,” Natasha said, breaking the silence.

“Please say goodbye to Livy first. I’m sure she’d want to say goodbye,” insisted Steve. He wanted to tell her that he didn’t want her to leave just yet, but she had already done so much.

“All right. I guess it’s the least I could do.”

They both entered the room as Dr. Cho finished checking Livy. “Olivia is doing well. She’s just a little tired right now, but that’s an effect of the anesthetics we put in her. We’ll be checking her frequently while she’s here.”

“That’s good news,” Steve said with a sigh of relief.

“I’ll leave you two to spend time with your daughter.”

Natasha blushed. First, she wasn’t Steve’s fiancée, for goodness’ sake she wasn’t even his girlfriend. Livy was much less her daughter. Yes, she loved the little girl, but she would be getting a mother soon.

Dr. Cho left leaving the three in the room. Natasha made her way to Livy’s side and cleared her throat. “Livy, I need to get home now. I hope you get better soon.”

“Don’t go, Miss Nat. Stay with me. Tell me a story. Please?” the little girl pleaded.

“Princess, Miss Nat needs to go home to rest,” explained Steve.

Natasha didn’t miss Livy’s disappointed face. “Steve, it’s fine. I’ll stay a little while longer.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to keep you here fulfilling Livy’s every wish. She knows that she can’t always have her way.”

“Steve,” Natasha smiled putting her hand on his shoulder, “it’s ok. She’s just been through surgery. I think it’s all right to pamper her a little bit. Besides, I love telling her stories. It could even get her to sleep so that you can get some rest as well.”

“I guess you’re right. You know what, I think I’ll stick around and listen to the story as well.”

“Okay, Livy. What do you want the story to be about?”

“A captured princess and a prince saves her,” Livy whispered.

Natasha nodded in approval and started thinking about the perfect story she could make up. Once she had it, she began, “Once upon a time, there lived a princess with a loving family, but when she was still young, an evil witch kidnapped her and locked her away in a dark, gloomy cottage…”

As Natasha continued her story, Steve sat on the couch that was in the room. He was already very intrigued by the story. He knew for sure she had a natural talent with kids. Livy was out like a light almost as soon as the story began no matter how hard she had tried to stay awake, but it was as if Natasha hadn’t noticed it because she kept going. About midway through the story, Steve as well drifted to sleep with the sound of Natasha’s melodious voice. 

* * *

 

When Steve woke up, the sun was already setting. The floor lamp in the room was on, but there was no sign of Natasha. _“She must have gone home,”_ he thought. He was a bit disappointed that he didn’t get to thank her for her support. He looked at the hospital bed and saw Livy sleeping peacefully. He was deciding whether or not he should go get something to eat from the hospital cafeteria when the door slowly opened up. In came Natasha holding paper bags with food.

“Hey, you’re awake,” she said once she saw Steve was watching her.

“I thought you had gone home already,” he whispered.

“I honestly thought about it, but I knew you would be hungry when you woke up. I went over to Burger King and ordered some food. I didn’t know what you’d want so I got you a Double Whopper, large fries, and a large vanilla milkshake. I hope that’s okay with you.”

“It’s perfect. Thank you. Did you get something for yourself?”

“Of course I did. If you don’t mind, I can join you.”

“Yeah, I would like the company.”

Natasha handed him the bag with his food and his milkshake and sat down on the couch next to him.

“I’d like to thank you for being here and supporting me. I don’t know what I would have done if I were by myself,” Steve said after taking a bite out of his burger.

“No need to thank me. Livy is such a precious girl, so the least I could do was be here to support her father, which brings me to the question that has been burning in the back of my mind since I got here. I know I said that it could wait, so you don’t have to give me an answer just yet if you don’t feel ready…”

“What?” he asked probably a little too annoyed at her rambling. He knew what question she was going to ask, but he wanted her to ask him.

“Why didn’t Sharon come? Why did you call me?”

Steve set his burger down on the coffee table before answering. “Before I answer, that was two questions, not one.”

“I know, but I think they intertwine with each other.”

Steve chuckled before getting serious. “For some time now, all of my friends and my siblings, but mostly Wanda, Bucky, Sam, and Tony, have been trying to get me to realize that Sharon didn’t want Livy in her life.” Natasha gave him a shocked and confused expression. “Let me rephrase, she wanted to marry me because of my looks, I’m guessing, but she wasn’t being really nice to Livy when I wasn’t around. She went as far as telling Livy that she would ship her off to boarding school once she married me. Livy never told me anything. I found out through Wanda, but since Livy never told me, I didn’t believe her. Livy would always seem happy with Sharon and vice versa; they got along fine. Apparently, I was too blind to see what was really going on, and I guess Livy was too afraid to tell me what Sharon would tell her when I wasn’t around.” He paused for a moment to eat some more of his burger. After a couple of bites, he continued, “You remember that day we bumped into each other at the bar?”

Natasha slightly blushed remembering that night. “Yes, I do,” she answered quietly with her head down.

“The real reason I was there was because I had just told Livy earlier that day my decision to marry Sharon, and I asked her how she would like having her as a mother. She threw a temper tantrum and ended up crying and saying I don’t love her and asking to live with Wanda. She even told me she hated me. It was the first time she has ever reacted that way with something I tell her, so I got angry. I told her I was going to marry Sharon whether she liked it or not, and she could stay with Wanda until she could learn to appreciate my decision. I packed her bags with clothes for two days and took her over there. Later, in my solitude, I felt bad for reacting the way I did, but instead of going to apologize to Livy, I went to the bar to drown out my troubles. Anyway, Wanda tried knocking sense into me. That was when she told me everything that Sharon has done and said to Livy including sending her to boarding school. I, of course, didn’t believe her.” He once again stopped to eat. He didn’t continue until he was done with his burger and had eaten some fries and taken a drink from his milkshake. “Moving on to present day. I called Sharon once I had parked my car and let her know I wouldn’t be making it to our date tonight. She protested, so I told her Livy’s situation. Basically, she didn’t care about it saying that we could still go on our date. I suggested that she come down here, but she made the excuse of having to pack to go to Italy for her business trip. That’s when I realized that she cared more about her job than caring about Livy. I broke up with her over the phone and basically told her never to show her face to me ever again. That’s why she’s not here. I called you because I know Livy feels safe with you around. I knew that you could bring us both a sense of stability.”

Natasha was taken aback by his last words. “Wow! I-I don’t know what to say. I know that Livy has taken a certain liking to me, but I guess I never thought that she actually feels safe with me.”

“Believe me she does. I can tell. Just seeing the way she asked you to stay today proves my point.”

Natasha smiled a little at his words. Before she could say anything else, there was a knock on the door. She started to get up to answer the door.

“You stay here. I’ll go get it,” Steve told her.

“No, I’ll go. It could be Clint or Maria. I asked them to come so that I don’t have to go home alone.”

“Fine, we’ll both go.”

Both Steve and Natasha went to the door. Steve, being the gentleman that he is, opened the door. The person on the other side of the door was not someone that they were expecting. “Steve! Why aren’t you in your suit?” Sharon inquired, her brow furrowed.

Steve didn’t want the oncoming argument to wake up Livy, so he decided to step out of the room. Since Natasha knew she shouldn’t be listening, she started making a turn to leave, but Steve grabbed her arm. “I want you out here with me,” he whispered to her.

“I don’t think-”

“Please, I can’t do this alone.”

Natasha nods slightly and walks out with him, closing the door quietly. “Visiting hours are from 9 to 9, starting tomorrow for Livy.”

Sharon scoffed at Natasha’s words. “What is she doing here, Steve?”

“I called her. She was nice enough to drop all of her ballet lessons for the day to come be here. The question is how did you get up here? And what are you doing here? I thought I said to never show your face to me again.” Steve’s tone was dangerously low.

“Babe,” Sharon sweetly says, “I came up in the elevator. I’m here so that we can go on our date which you are definitely not ready for. And Steve, we both know you weren’t thinking straight when we talked on the phone. You didn’t mean anything. As for her, I don’t see why she’s here now if only family is allowed, and she’s not family.”

Natasha’s anger bubbled. “You aren’t Livy’s family either! How did you get across the front desk?”

Sharon laughed. “Oh, that was simple. I told them I am Livy’s mother.”

“They believed you?!?” Natasha asked clearly shocked.

“It’s not technically a lie. I’m pretty sure I will be soon. Isn’t that right, Steve?”

“You will never be Livy’s mother!” Steve shouted, but not too loud so that he wouldn’t attract attention.

Sharon was startled at the sudden outburst. “But, Steve, I thought-”

“What kind of mother sends her daughter to boarding school? What type of mother puts her work before her own daughter? What type of mother promises to spend time with her daughter and bails on her at the last second? What type of mother tells her daughter to lie to her father?”

“Steve, I would never send her to boarding school! And I promise that once we’re married I’ll spend more time with Livy. Also, I never told Livy to lie to you.”

“Don’t you lie to me, Sharon. I know everything you’ve ever said and done to Livy. Wanda told me, only I was too blind to see it. And what makes you think that you’ll start spending more time with her if we did get married if you can’t even do that now?”

“Steve, you’re not really going to believe what Wanda told you, whatever that was, right? She was obviously lying.”

“So, you’re calling my daughter a liar now?” Steve retorted. “I can’t believe you! When are you going to stop with all your lies? I was dumb enough to let you wrap me around your finger, but that’s not happening again.”

Before she could protest any further, her phone rang. She answered it abruptly. “What do you want?” she asked in a harsh whisper.

Even though Sharon’s phone wasn’t on speaker, Steve and Natasha could still hear the voice on the other end, and it was clearly a guy’s voice that said, **“Honey, calm down! I was just calling to see if you’re ready for our trip to Europe.”**

“Well, couldn’t you have texted? I’m with Steve right now!”

**“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know. You’re still dating him?”**

“Of course, I am. He’s way sexier than you!”

**“Woah, what a way to break a man’s heart!”**

“You know, I’ve been spending most of my time with you. You’re obviously the better option since you don’t have any kids to worry about. Anyway, he’s found out too much already. That little snitch went and told her aunt about everything. Besides, he supposedly broke up with me today, not that I really care.”

**“You don’t know how happy I am to hear that! I’ll be waiting for you at home then.”**

Sharon hung up and turned around. “Sorry about that. So where were we?”

Steve and Natasha both had shocked faces. “How long have you been cheating on me, Sharon?” Steve asked with a menacing glare.

“Whatever are you talking about, Babe? I would never do such a thing.”

“Give up the act, Sharon. It’s not like we couldn’t hear the phone conversation. You may have been whispering, but you’re forgetting we’re standing in a practically empty hallway. There’s always the echo,” Natasha spat out.

“Like you said, I broke up with you, so please leave before I ask security to take you out. I mean, you don’t really care that I did because now you can have that man all to yourself without having to worry about pleasing another. Have a nice _vacation_ in Italy,” Steve said angrily.

Sharon let out a frustrated sigh before walking away.

Once she was out of sight, Steve felt that he could finally breathe. He let out a big breath that he didn’t realize he was holding in.

“Are you ok, Steve?” Natasha asked worriedly.

Steve nodded as he opened the door to Livy’s room so that they could go back in. “I now see that she wasn’t worth my time. A liar and a cheater, I should have known.” He sat down on the couch and put his elbows on his legs and his head in his hands.

“It’s not your fault, you know. She was just that good at lying. You would have never known if it weren’t for Wanda and that phone call,” she said, trying her best to comfort him.

“And to think I was planning on marrying her. I would have ruined Livy’s life. I now need to thank Wanda for that talk she gave me last month.”

“At least you’re not going to make that big mistake.”

“Yeah, but that still leaves me with the predicament of Livy not having a mother.”

“I’m sure you’ll find her. You never know, she could be someone you know.”

Steve smiled up at her.

Natasha’s phone buzzed in her pocket. She took it out and looked at the text. “Well, it seems as if Maria is here. Are you going to be ok?”

Steve nodded. “You go home and get some rest. Thank you so much for everything.”

“It was no problem, Steve. I’ll be in tomorrow to visit Livy.”

“That would mean a lot to her.” He led her to the door and opened it for her letting her walk out first. “Oh, and thanks for the dinner. I owe you one.”

Natasha giggled. “No, you don’t. It was just a nice friendly gesture.”

Steve smiled. “Thanks anyway.”

They stared at each other until Natasha felt her phone buzz again. “I really need to go. I hope you have a good night.”

“Yeah, thanks. You too.” He watched her as she walked down the hall towards the elevators. Now that he didn’t have a girlfriend, that feeling he thought he had buried a couple of months ago was starting to creep its way back to the surface of his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, now Sharon's out of the way. Or is she? Well, you'll just have to see if she comes back or not. In the meantime, let's see how Steve and Natasha's relationship evolves.


	34. Chapter 32

The days Livy was still in the hospital, she had visitors at all hours of the day. Her aunts and uncles came to visit her as well as her classmates and ballet friends. She got lots of cards, balloons, candy, stuffed animals, and flowers. She definitely enjoyed all of the attention she was getting.

On the second day after her surgery, Dr. Cho released her from the hospital. Livy would have to take it easy meaning that she would have to take a break from ballet until she was given the ok to start up again. She was a little disappointed to hear that, but Steve promised her that she could still go visit Natasha whenever she wanted. After Steve had signed the release papers, she was all set to leave the hospital. Steve only had to help her into the change of clothes she had brought her, and she would be all set to leave. The nurse wheeled her out in a wheelchair, and Steve buckled her in her car seat. Once he was in the car, Livy asked, “Can we go see Miss Nat?”

Steve looked at her in the rearview mirror. “You know she has ballet classes right now. I don’t think that we should interrupt that.”

“Please, Daddy. I want to go see her,” Livy pleaded.

“You saw her last night, Princess.”

“That was yesterday. I want to see her today,” Livy said persistently.

Steve smiled at her persistence. “Let’s make a deal. We’ll go see her during her lunch break. Is that ok with you?”

Livy nodded her head eagerly.

Steve glanced at the time. It was a half past ten, so they had a little time before they went to see Natasha. He didn’t want to drive all the way home since they would have to come back to Manhattan in about an hour and a half. He was trying to come up with something to kill time. Finally, an idea struck him. “Princess, how about we go to Toys R Us while we wait for lunchtime?”

Livy’s eyes brightened up. “YES!” she squealed.

There was a little over a month before Christmas, and Steve wanted to get an idea of what to get Livy for Christmas. “But, we won’t be buying anything today,” Steve let her know.

“Ok, Daddy,” she consented. 

* * *

 

They spent most of the hour and a half in the store. If Livy hadn’t had surgery a couple of days ago, she would have been running all over the store like crazy. Since Steve was carrying her, she opted for asking him to go to certain aisles. Her eyes brightened with everything they saw from kitchen sets to stuffed animals. To say the least, she wanted everything she saw. He let her walk around a bit so that she could see the displays a bit better. He could tell that she could stay in that store all day long. She was busy exploring a kitchen set when Steve saw they should probably get going if they were going to catch Natasha before she went out for lunch.

“Princess, we need to go now,” Steve told her.

“But, Daddy, I don’t want to go yet,” she whined.

Steve tried to hide his smile. “Well, I guess we won’t go see Miss Nat then.”

When Livy heard that, she immediately walked back to his side. “No, I want to go see her!” she protested.

Steve smiled at her protest. “I thought you wanted to stay here and keep looking at the toys.”

Livy shook her head and grabbed onto Steve’s legs. “I want to go now.”

Steve laughed and picked her up. He knew how much she loved being with Natasha, so he knew she wouldn’t want to stay in Toys R Us any longer if they were going to see Natasha.

They arrived at the ballet school a little bit before Natasha’s class ended. Daisy was at the desk as she always was. When she saw them enter, she smiled widely at Livy. “It’s so nice to see you, Livy,” she exclaimed.

Livy smiled shyly.

“How are you feeling?”

“Ok. It hurts a little bit.”

Daisy gave her a sympathetic smile. “You’ll feel like your old self before you know it, and once you do, you’ll be back here dancing.”

Livy nodded.

“So what brings the two of you here at this time?” Daisy asked looking at Steve.

“Livy wanted to see Miss Romanoff, so I told her that we could drop by to say hello during her lunch break,” explained Steve.

Daisy smiled. “That’s so sweet. She should be finishing up with her class soon. Feel free to take a seat.”

“Thank you.” Steve sat down on the couch with Livy on his lap. Livy curled up in a ball against Steve’s chest. She was getting a bit tired, but she wanted to see Natasha today. She also wanted to eat before taking a nap.

Soon Natasha came out with her student that she had been teaching. The lady and she were talking and laughing before the lady left. That’s when Natasha noticed Steve and Livy on the couch. She was surprised to see them there. “Hey, Livy! It’s nice to see you’re out of the hospital.”

Livy looked up and smiled at Natasha. “Miss Nat!” she exclaimed.

Natasha made her way towards them. “Oh, and hi to you too, Steve,” she said when she realized she hadn’t greeted him yet.

“Hi,” he returned.

“So, how is my favorite student feeling today?”

“Tired and hungry.”

Natasha chuckled. “I imagine so. It’s lunchtime already.”

Livy nodded while Steve said, “Livy wanted to see you before we went home.”

“Aw, that’s sweet. I’m glad you decided to drop by. I’m so glad you’re out of the hospital, and I hope you continue to feel better.”

Livy nodded. “Miss Nat.”

“Yes?”

“Where are you going to eat lunch?”

“I haven’t exactly decided that yet,” Natasha answered her.

“Can you eat lunch with us?” Livy asked.

Steve wasn’t expecting her to ask that. He, as well as Natasha, was taken aback by the question.

“As long as your dad is ok with it.” Natasha and Livy both looked at Steve waiting for his answer.

“Uh, no, it’s fine with me. I just didn’t have any plans for going out to lunch, so we can go wherever you want,” he answered.

“What can Livy eat?”

“Right now, she can’t eat much. “ He took out the list of foods that she could eat and handed it to Natasha. She scanned the list before answering.

“Well, we can go to any restaurant as long as it’s not all fast food.”

Steve nodded. “How about TGI Fridays?”

“That sounds good. I haven’t been there in a while.”

“Ok, TGI Fridays it is. We’ll take my car.”

“Oh, no,” objected Natasha. “I can drive my own car so that you don’t have to drive me all the way back here afterward.”

Steve shook his head. “It won’t be a problem. I have to do something in this area still before going home anyway, and the ballet school is on the way.”

“Are you 100% sure?” Natasha asked with her eyebrow raised.

Steve nodded. “100% sure.”

“Come on, let’s go,” Livy urged.

Steve chuckled while Natasha giggled at Livy’s urging. Steve got up and adjusted Livy on his hip. He opened the door, and said, “After you,” to Natasha.

She smiled at his chivalry.

At TGI Fridays, they were given a booth to sit in. Steve and Natasha sat across from each other. Livy had problems picking who to sit with because she wanted to sit with both Natasha and her dad. She finally decided to sit by Natasha. Livy got comfortable and cuddled against Natasha’s side. She had been given a kid’s menu and crayons, but she was too tired to do the activities on the menu. They all sat in silence as they looked over the menu. It wasn’t until after they ordered when Natasha broke the silence. “Livy fell asleep,” she said.

Steve stood a little to see. He smiled at the sight of Livy curled up against Natasha’s side sleeping. “I can take her if you want.”

“Oh, no, that’s perfectly fine. I was just letting you know. Do you want me to wake her when the food arrives?”

“Please. She needs to eat to regain her strength.”

Natasha nodded in agreement. “How have you been fairing through all of this?”

Steve sighed. “As well as can be expected, I guess. Thankfully, I had some help while she was at the hospital.”

“Those are the perks of having so many caring friends. You can always depend on them.”

“Yes, you’re right about that. I think I learned to appreciate them even more during all of this.”

Natasha smiled. “Have you told Livy yet?” she asked switching the subject.

Steve’s face became serious. “No, I haven’t. There are some things I want to ask her when I do tell her, so I’m waiting until she gets better to let her know. I have no doubt she’ll be elated at the news, but it bothers me that she never came to me to let me know what _she_ was saying and doing to her.”

“I see. I guess you’re right about waiting then. I have another question, but you don’t have to answer it.”

“Go on ahead.”

“Are you going to wait a little bit before starting to date again?”

Steve sighed and shook his head. “Now, I’m actually thinking we’re better off the way we are right now.”

“You’re afraid it’s going to happen again, aren’t you?” Natasha inquired.

Steve nodded his head. “Also, I have no idea where to start looking.”

Natasha couldn’t stand seeing Steve so sad and heartbroken. “Hey, have you thought of putting an ad in the newspaper soliciting a wife and mother for Livy, and you know, describing her just the way you want her to be? I’m sure lots of women will fall in line.”

Steve smiled a bit at her joke. “I actually don’t think it would be too bad of an idea, but then I’d have to slowly turn each one down once I find the right person. I’d hate to break all of their hearts.”

Natasha laughed. “You do have a point there. With your looks, you’d break more hearts than you can count.”

Steve laughed at that.

Before anything else could be said, the waitress brought their food. Natasha couldn’t help but notice the flirtatious looks the waitress was giving Steve, but she also noticed that Steve was oblivious to all of it. When the waitress left, Natasha pointed it out. “You know, that waitress would be more than happy to be your wife if the way she looked at you was any indication.”

Steve looked confused. “She’s not my type.”

“Oh, so, Steve Rogers has a type?” Natasha asked raising her eyebrows at him. “What would that type be?”

“I’ll tell you later. Right now, I think you should wake Livy up before her soup gets cold.”

“You’d better tell me later. I could probably help you look for someone,” she said before putting her attention on Livy. “Hey, Livy. Wake up. Your soup is here.” Natasha was lightly shaking her awake.

Livy started to stir a bit and opened her eyes before she closed them again.

Natasha giggled at that. “Come on, sleepy head. Aren’t you hungry?”

Livy nodded her head while her eyes were still closed.

“Then you’ll have to wake up to eat. You can go right back to sleep once you’re done eating.”

Livy slowly opened her eyes and yawned. She began sitting up and rubbed her eyes. She just sat there obviously still half asleep.

Natasha noticed that Livy was still half asleep, so she decided to just grab her spoon and start feeding her. She made sure to blow on it to cool off the soup on the spoon before giving it to Livy. “Livy, open your mouth.”

She looked over at Natasha and opened her mouth.

Steve couldn’t help but watch smiling. Usually, he was the one that would do that when Livy was too tired to eat on her own, but there was something special watching Natasha do it this time. He loved how she interacted with Livy. He could tell that she cared a lot about her. He didn’t realize that he was staring until Natasha said, “Aren’t you going to eat, Rogers?”

Steve’s cheeks turned a light shade of pink. “Yeah, I am. Aren’t you?”

“I am eating in between the spoonfuls I give Livy.”

“I could take that over since you have to get back to work,” Steve offered.

Natasha smiled. “I don’t have a class until 2:30, so there’s no rush.”

Livy had woken up fully by now, so she decided to ask a question. “Miss Nat,” she said.

“Yes, Livy?” Natasha answered as she turned to look at her.

“Do you celebrate Thanksgiving?”

“Last year was my first year to actually celebrate it.”

“Oh. Do you like it?”

“I do. There are a lot of delicious foods. Do you like it?”

Livy nodded. “We’re going to celebrate it at my house. Aunt Wanda’s cooking the turkey.”

“That sounds like fun. Do you know what Thanksgiving is about?”

Livy shook her head. “My teacher was going to tell us the story in school, but I got sick. Do you know?”

Natasha smiled. “I’ve only heard the story once, so I think your dad should tell you.”

“Daddy, tell us the Thanksgiving story.”

Steve smiled at both of their pleading eyes. “All right. The Thanksgiving story actually starts in England. There was this group called Separatists that didn’t want to be a part of the Church of England. They wanted to worship God in their own way, so they moved to Holland. Once in Holland, they did have religious freedom, but their kids were growing up as Dutchmen instead of Englishmen and were being influenced by the Dutch. They went back to England and asked the king if they could go to the New World. The king granted them permission, and they set off on their voyage, along with some other people called Adventurers, to Jamestown in the _Mayflower._ There was a bad storm while they were on the sea which threw them off course, so they ended up a lot more north. They landed in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. They settled in Plymouth Rock on December 11, 1620. Since it was already winter, they couldn’t grow food or build houses, so about half of the population died that winter. When spring came, the Pilgrims started to build houses. One day, some Indians came to visit them. The Pilgrims thought the Indians were going to harm them, but one of them, Samoset, know a little bit of English. He brought Squanto, who knew more English, to them, and he was able to help the Pilgrims sign a peace treaty with Chief Massasoit and help them plant crops, hunt, and fish. That year, they had plenty to eat, and they decided to gather together to thank God for the year they went through. They, of course, invited to Indians. President Lincoln made it an official holiday which we now celebrate every fourth Thursday of November,” Steve concluded.

“Did they have turkey too?” Livy eagerly asked.

“I’m pretty sure they did. There were more than enough wild turkeys running around at that time.”

Livy giggled a little since the incision from the surgery still hurt her while Steve and Natasha just smiled at her. After what she had just gone through, they were happy that she was happy.

The rest of the lunch went by fast and soon they were on their way back to the ballet studio. Livy had fallen asleep just as soon as the car started moving. Natasha was just staring out the window thinking about the lunch. She remembered a question that she had asked earlier that didn’t get an answer. Turning to Steve, she spoke up breaking the silence. “Hey, you never did tell me what your type is in women.”

Steve glanced at her. “You’re right about that. I didn’t.”

Natasha stared at him expectantly. Steve could feel her intent gaze, but he didn’t say anything. Natasha finally got impatient. “Well, aren’t you going to tell me now? Livy’s asleep if that’s what held you back the first time.”

Steve took another sideways glance at her before sighing. “I like women who don’t openly flirt with every man they encounter. For example, if you say that waitress was giving me flirtatious looks, she probably does it with all the guys. It has to be someone that I can trust fully. Someone that I know won’t look at any other guy the way she looks at me. Most importantly, she needs to accept who Livy is and love her as her own.”

“That’s sweet, but it may be a little hard to find these days. Most women don’t want the commitment to be a mother right after they get married.”

Steve nodded. “I know that. Sharon proves that point. That’s how I’ll know she’s the right partner for me.”

Natasha nodded. “You’ll find her eventually.”

“I know I will,” Steve answered her. _“I’ve already found her,”_ he added mentally.

When he pulled up in front of the ballet school, he turned the car off. He turned to face Natasha. “I was kind of wondering something.”

“Oh?” she asked raising an eyebrow.

“I was wondering if you’d like to spend Thanksgiving with us this year. By us, I mean, Livy, Wanda, Bucky, Pietro, and Allison, of course, me as well.”

Natasha smiled. “I would love to, but I’ve got plans for this Thanksgiving. Thanks for the invite though.”

Steve’s smile faltered a bit, but he tried to quickly cover it by plastering a fake one which didn’t escape Natasha’s eyes. “Oh, ok. You’re welcome.”

“Clint and Laura invited me to their house again this year, so I couldn’t say no. Clint is like a brother to me, and Thanksgiving is about spending it with family. Maybe next time though.”

“Yeah, next time.”

“Thank you so much for the lunch. I had a wonderful time. Tell Livy thanks for the invite as well.”

Steve’s genuine smile returned to those words. “I’ll make sure I tell her that. You take care.”

“You as well. See you around.” Natasha opened the door to the car and got out. She walked up the steps all the while knowing Steve was watching her every move. She turned and waved goodbye to him before going inside.

Once Steve was sure Natasha was safe inside, he turned the car back on and went to his next stop before heading home. As he pulled into the parking lot, Steve was sure to start to wake up Livy. “Hey, Livy, you need to wake up for a bit.” Once the car was parked, he got out and went around to her side to start unbuckling the car seat. “Livy, do you want to see Uncle Tony and Aunt Pepper?”

Livy’s eyes cracked open as she nodded her head.

“Well, you need to wake up then. I’ll carry you, but don’t go back to sleep so that you can see them.”

All she did was nod before closing her eyes again. She rested her head on Steve’s shoulder and worked on waking herself up. Before she knew it, they were already inside. She heard Tony say, “Hey, Munchkin! You awake?”

She just nodded her head and kept her eyes closed.

“You can lie her down on the couch if you want, Steve. Pepper’ll be up in a minute.”

“Thanks, Tony,” Steve said as he laid Livy on the couch. “I can’t stay long because she needs to rest, and we haven’t gone home yet.”

“Ok, then. What do you need?”

“I need you to do me a favor. I know you’re going to Malibu for Thanksgiving, so I need you to return something that I bought there.” He stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out a ring box. “I need you to return this to the jewelry store I got it from. You do remember which one, right?”

Tony reached out for the box and opened it. “Oh, yeah, definitely remember. Why do you want me to return it though? Aren’t you going to propose to Sharon?”

Steve hung his head. “Not anymore. How can I propose to a woman who threatens my daughter and teaches her to lie? How can I marry a woman who cheats on me?”

Tony’s eyes went wide with shock when he heard the last part. “She cheated on you?”

Steve nodded his head, his face full of shame. “The worst part is that I didn’t know until after I broke up with her. I should have seen it.”

“I’m so sorry, man,” Tony said as he patted his back.

“Don’t pretend to be sorry, Stark. I know that you despised her. Now that I think of it, I think everyone did.”

“I can’t despise her because she’ll be my future business partner seeing as she’s inheriting Carter Enterprises. But, I will admit I’m not fond of her, and she would have made a terrible mother to Livy.”

“I see that now. I don’t know why I was so blinded.”

“People who are expert liars will blind you with their lies. I guess what happened to Livy was a good thing because it opened your eyes.”

“I guess, but I wish it didn’t have to come to that. Anyway, will you do me that favor?”

“Don’t you want to keep it in case you ever find someone else?”

Steve scoffed. “Why would I give a ring to someone that was meant for someone else?”

Tony looked at him thoughtfully. “You do have a point there.”

Pepper walked out of the elevator just then. “Hey, Steve! How’s Livy?”

Livy, who was lying on the couch but not asleep, answered before Steve could. “Tired.”

Pepper’s head turned towards the couch when she heard Livy’s voice. “You’re out of the hospital! I’m glad to see that!” Pepper approached her and gave her a big hug keeping in mind not to squeeze her too hard.

“So what brings the two of you here?” Pepper asked.

“Oh, I just came to ask Tony a favor,” Steve answered. “We were actually about to leave, but we couldn’t go until we said hi to you first.”

“That was sweet of you to wait. I was actually coming to get Tony. He has a conference meeting, and he has to attend. I can’t fill in for him this time.”

Tony made a face of dislike. “Can’t you say that I’m sick or out of the country or something like that?”

“Sorry, Tony, but I can’t. I know you hate meetings, but you do have to go to one every once in a while.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “Fine, but no more meetings until next year.”

“It sounds like this is my cue to leave as well. If I don’t see you two before you go to Malibu, have a nice trip and a lovely Thanksgiving,” Steve cut in.

“Oh, thank you, Steve. I hope you also have a splendid Thanksgiving,” Pepper replied. “I also hope that you’ll get better,” she said as she looked at Livy.

Once their goodbyes were said, Tony walked out with Steve since he was going in that direction anyway. Tony waited until Steve had buckled Livy in her car seat and closed the door. “So, when are you going to make your move on Natasha?” he asked amused.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Steve said trying to act confused.

“Oh, come on, Steve. You can’t fool me. I’ve seen the way you look at her. If that isn’t love right there, then I don’t know what it is.”

“You’re being ridiculous, Tony. I’m not in love with Natasha.”

“Keep telling yourself that, and you’ll make another decision you regret. She has the hots for you as well. I’ve seen it with my own eyes, Steve.”

“Look, I don’t want the woman that I date next to think she’s just a rebound. I’m going to wait a little bit until I start to date again,” Steve reasoned with him.

“Whatever you say. Just don’t wait too long or else you’ll lose her. Anyway, I need to get going, or Pepper will get onto me. Nice chat by the way. I hope you make the right decision.” With that said, Tony walked away leaving Steve to mull over what he had just heard from him. Did Natasha really like him in that way? Yes, they’ve kissed, but he never really thought that she felt the same way. Besides, their conversation today seemed like she wasn’t interested in him. But was it possible that she was hiding her true feelings? He’d just have to find out one way or the other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the long wait, but I was busy all of last week with Mother's Day preparations, and I wasn't home at all in the evenings. I haven't forgotten this story though. I'm not sure when I'll update next, but I'll try to update again by the end of this week.


	35. Chapter 33

On Thanksgiving Day, Wanda arrived at Steve’s house early in the morning to start baking the turkey. Since she had a key, she didn’t need to wake up Steve. She made sure to be as quiet as possible so that she wouldn’t wake Livy or him up. In addition to the turkey, she also had plans on making them breakfast. Later on in the day, she would make the stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn on the cob, and green bean casserole. Allison would be baking the pumpkin, apple, and pecan pies, cornbread, and buttermilk biscuits in addition to making the cranberry sauce. For anyone, this would be enough food for a party, but with Steve, Bucky, and Pietro’s appetite, this would suffice.

Steve woke up to the smell of blueberry pancakes, bacon, and coffee. He was a bit confused at first as to why, but it didn’t take long for him to remember that Wanda was most likely making breakfast. On an ordinary day, he would go do his morning workout, but today, he took a shower instead. After showering, he padded down the stairs making sure not to make too much noise so that Livy wouldn’t wake up. He wanted her to sleep in today. Upon entering the kitchen, he went to the coffee machine and started pouring himself a cup. “Morning,” he greeted Wanda.

“Good morning, Steve. How did you sleep?” she asked as she poured more batter into the pan.

“Better than most nights.”

Wanda smiled. “That’s good to hear. Uh, I know I probably should have asked this like last week, but I forgot. Who all is coming tonight?”

Steve’s brows furrowed. “I thought I told you already.”

“Yeah, you were about to, but I think you got a call from one of your clients.”

“Right. It’s only going to be Pietro, Allison, Bucky, Sam, Livy, you, and me this year.”

Wanda nodded. “Thor isn’t coming?”

Steve shook his head. “He’s going to celebrate with Jane, Darcy, and Erik.”

“Um, how about Sharon? Or is she still in Italy?”

Steve stayed silent just leaning against the counter with his coffee in his hand.

Wanda looked up. She noticed his face had gone from relaxed to tense. “Steve? What’s wrong?”

He gazed at the coffee cup in his hands. “She won’t be coming…ever again.”

Wanda was a bit shocked, to say the least. “What do you mean, ‘ever again’?”

He directed his gaze to meet Wanda’s. “I, uh, I broke up with her a couple of weeks ago.”

If Wanda hadn’t been choosing her words carefully she would have probably said something like ‘Thank goodness,’ but she knew better than to say that. “Oh, Steve, I-I don’t know what to say.”

“You should probably be saying something along the lines of ‘Finally! About time! What took you so long?’ You can rub it in my face telling me you were right all along and that I should have listened to you.”

“Steve, you know I’m not like that. Though, I do want to know what made you do it.”

“After your talk with me, I started to ponder everything you told me. With that and Sharon becoming a bit more distant, it gave me some insight. It wasn’t until Livy’s incident that I finally realized that she didn’t care. I broke up over the phone with her, and later on, she came to the hospital for our date I canceled. I found out then that she had been cheating on me and that her ‘business trip’ to Italy was actually a vacation.”

“Oh, Steve! I can’t imagine the betrayal you felt! I’m so sorry that happened,” she tried to sympathize.

“Don’t say something you don’t mean. Besides, I think it was for the best. I actually feel free again. With Sharon, I felt like I always had to act sophisticated. I mean, she never liked going to regular restaurants. They had to be in Manhattan and elegant. I really don’t know what I saw in her.”

Wanda gave him a little smile. “You didn’t see anything in her. The fact that Peggy and she had been friends was enough to encourage you to date her. She knew things about Peggy you didn’t, and probably still don’t, know. That was your way of keeping Peggy close.”

“I guess you’re right, but this is supposed to be a happy day. Let’s forget about this conversation.”

Wanda laughed. “Ok, but I do have one more question. Does Maggie know yet?”

Steve shook his head. “Only Buck, Natasha, and you.” He saw Wanda’s face of curiosity and knew what question she was going to ask, so he held up his hand to stop her. “Before you ask, I told Natasha because she was the one I called for support after I broke up with Sharon. She asked me, so I told her.”

Wanda then pulled on her sly smile. “So, you like her, don’t ya?”

Steve’s cheeks started to tint pink a little. “I like who?”

“Don’t play dumb on me! You know perfectly well who I’m talking about!”

“No, I don’t,” he innocently replied.

“I’m talking about Natasha! You like Natasha, don’t you?”

“As a friend.”

Wanda faked a laugh. “For the record, you suck at lying. I’ve seen the way you look at her like she’s the only person in the room.”

Steve blushed a little more. “Ok, I said we’re dropping the subject, didn’t I? I’m actually getting a bit hungry right now. Is it ok if I start or do you want me to wait a little longer?”

Wanda playfully smacked his arm. “We’ll talk about it later. About breakfast, wouldn’t it be nice if you wait until Maggie gets here?”

Steve smiled. “Well, if you must know, she’s already awake. I heard her moving around in her room while we were talking. She’s probably playing in their or trying to pick out an outfit to put on. Since she knows it’s her day off, she knows she can play before breakfast.”

Wanda stared at him in awe. She hadn’t heard any movement from upstairs during their conversation. “Wow! You must be used to hearing that sort of stuff because I didn’t hear a thing.”

Steve chuckled. “When you become a parent, you’ll be surprised how acute your hearing can become.”

“Anyway, if you want to eat breakfast, you should probably get Maggie. I still need to make the eggs, so it’ll give me enough time.”

“Sounds like a plan to me.” Steve headed up the stairs and knocked on Livy’s door. When he didn’t get an answer, he opened it very slowly. His first assumption was right. There she sat on the floor playing with her Barbie dolls. He was a bit relieved she hadn’t changed yet because she would get sticky with the maple syrup on her pancakes. “Good morning, Princess.”

Livy looked up and saw Steve in the doorway. She jumped up and ran to him. “Good morning, Daddy!” she exclaimed as she gave him a big hug on his legs.

Steve bent down to pick her up. “Do you want to eat breakfast now?”

“I want to keep playing with my dolls.”

Steve sighed putting her down. “Ok, you can keep playing. I guess I’ll have to tell Aunt Wanda that we can eat all of the blueberry pancakes, bacon, and eggs because you decided to play instead of eat.”

“Aunt Wanda is here!” she squealed.

“Indeed, she is.” Livy started running down the stairs before Steve finished answering.  “Livy, take it easy. I know you’re already better from your surgery, but you still need to be careful,” Steve explained once he caught up to her.

Livy stopped running and walked the rest of the way down. When she entered the kitchen, she ran to Wanda and hugged her. “Hi, Aunt Wanda!”

“Good morning, Maggie! Are you ready to eat breakfast?”

Livy eagerly nodded her head.

“All righty then! Let me just serve breakfast, and we can eat!”

* * *

 

After breakfast, Steve bathed Livy since she was a sticky, greasy mess from the syrup, jam, and bacon. He allowed her to play a little while in the tub after her bath.

While Steve was busy with Livy, Wanda was busy with starting to cook the rest of the meal. Since she had done this before, she had already found the perfect rhythm. At the pace she was going, everything would be ready on time.

Pietro and Allison arrived about an hour before so that she could help Wanda set the table and with anything else. She made sure to tell her to go shower and get ready once all the big stuff was done. Wanda hadn’t wanted to, insisting there was still plenty of time, so Allison practically pushed her out of the kitchen.

Bucky and Sam were the last to arrive. After greeting Steve and Livy, he made his way to the kitchen to greet Wanda, but to his surprise, he found Allison instead. Allison explained that Wanda was getting herself presentable.

When Wanda emerged from the spare bedroom, the men were in the living room absorbed by the football game while Livy was in the kitchen with Allison. She first went into the kitchen to make sure everything was in order. Once she got that confirmed, she went into the living room and cleared her throat. Seeing that not one of them turned to look at her, she spoke up. “Do you guys want to finish watching the football game or are you ready to eat?”

Wanda didn’t receive an answer. All three guys were so concentrated on the football game that they didn’t hear her question.

Wanda decided to get in front of the television so that they’d answer her. The moment she stepped in front of it, they all looked at her in disbelief. Sam was the one to voice what they were all thinking. “Hey, we’re watching that! Can you please move?”

“I’ll move just as soon as you answer my question. Do you all want to eat now or later?”

“Later, Wanda. The Patriots are playing against the Detroit Lions, so we can’t miss it. This game is almost over,” Steve quickly replied.

Wanda stepped out of the way. “All right. Everything is ready, so after it’s over, wash your hands and come to the dining room.”

She made her way back into the kitchen.

Livy went up to her. “Aunt Wanda, I’m hungry.”

Wanda crouched down to Livy’s eye level. “I know, but it seems as if your dad and uncles want to finish watching the football game.”

Allison sighed. “Those men and their football. Who’s playing?”

“Steve said that the Patriots and Lions are playing,” Wanda answered while she got back up.

“No wonder. The Patriots is Steve’s favorite team. He’s not going to miss the finale of the game.”

Livy sighed loudly. “I’m bored.”

Wanda and Allison giggled. “How about we go get your drawing pad?” Wanda suggested.

“I don’t want to draw.”

“Do you want to color?” Allison asked. “I have some Thanksgiving coloring pages on my phone that we can print out.”

“Yeah!”

“Ok. I have a couple different ones, so I’ll show them to you. Pick the one that you like the best.”

Allison helped Livy look through them. “I want this one,” Livy said pointing to the one she wanted when Allison started swiping back.

“All right. I’ll go print it out. Do you want one, Wanda?”

“Sure. I’ll join Maggie in coloring.”

“Yay!” Livy cheered as she jumped up and down. “You too, Aunt Allie.”

“Ok, I’ll print one out for myself. Just I don’t think your dad would be too happy to see you jumping up and down.”

Livy smiled sheepishly as she stopped jumping. Allison went into Steve’s office and printed out the coloring pages. When she came back, Wanda and Livy had already set out the crayons. Once they each had their coloring page, they got busy with adding the color. While coloring, they heard different shouts erupt from the living room, both happy and annoyed ones. Wanda and Allison would just shake their heads every time they heard the guys shout. Livy soon caught on and started mimicking them. Finally, they heard Steve’s victory cheer.

“Ok, I think it’s time to eat now,” Wanda said as she got up. “Let’s put all of this away and wash our hands.”

Among the three, they quickly cleaned the breakfast bar and washed their hands. Wanda and Allison got busy with taking out the turkey out of the oven. Soon Steve, Bucky, Sam, and Pietro came into the dining room where the girls were waiting.

“That was an epic game!” Bucky exclaimed.

“I know, right! Did you see Tom Brady’s touchdowns? No one intercepted him!” Pietro said.

“It was incredible no one intercepted him!” Sam said.

“So, what was the final score?” Wanda asked.

“It was 45 to 24. The Patriots totally creamed them!” Steve answered.

“I’m glad that your team won, but now it’s time to focus on the family meal.”

They all took their usual seats around the table, the excitement of the game slowly dying down.

“That’s a lot of food,” Livy pointed out as she saw it all on the table.

Everyone laughed at her comment. “Don’t worry, Liv, you won’t have to eat it all yourself,” James assured.

“Ok, so Steve will do the honors and carve the turkey,” Wanda said as she passed him the carving knife. “I’ll pass the plates around.”

Once everyone had their plates all the other dishes were passed around the table so that each one could serve themselves to their liking. Steve served Livy’s plate making sure she had a little of everything.

After everyone had finished serving themselves, they all started to eat. That’s when Wanda looked over at the guys’ plates. They were filled with food. You could barely see the rim of the plate. “You guys do know there’s still a lot of desserts, right?” she asked as she looked from one plate to the other.

“Yeah, we do,” Pietro answered. “I had to smell all the delicious desserts all day, and I couldn’t even have a bite.”

Wanda shook her head. “You all eat like pigs.”

That sent everyone into a roar of laughter. “Yeah, but I’m your pig,” Bucky says flirtatiously.

Wanda swatted him on his arm.

“Don’t deny it.”

“I’m not denying anything,” Wanda said as she tried to hide a smile.

Bucky laughed at her failed attempts to hide her smile. “You see, my charm works every time.”

Steve cleared his throat. “I think you should tone it down a little. There are innocent eyes watching and innocent ears listening.”

“I was about to say something like that, but instead, you guys are so gross,” Sam added.

“I think we should just drop this conversation completely and start up another one,” Allison suggested.

From then on, they talked about random things from work to memories of the past year. As they were all finishing up their meals, Steve brought back the seriousness. “I think it’s time to say what we’re thankful for this year.”

“Yes, this is my favorite part!” Wanda squealed.

“Ok, Sam, why don’t you start, and we’ll go around and end with me.”

“So, I’m thankful for getting to spend Thanksgiving with you guys this year. With work not giving me as many days off, I obviously wouldn’t be able to go to see my family in D.C. I’m thankful for friends like you that make one feel like family,” Sam said. “Oh, and Buck, I’m Steve’s best friend.”

They all laughed at him. “Sorry, but I’m pretty sure I am,” Bucky replied.

“You both are my best friends, so you don’t have to fight over the title anymore,” Steve made sure to let them know.

It was Pietro’s turn next, and he made sure to say how thankful he was that Allison agreed to move in with him.

Allison said she was thankful for her family and the new job she got as a floral arranger.

Bucky was thankful for “the pretty lady sitting next to him,” as he put it, and finally being able to call her his girl.

When Wanda’s turn came, she expressed how thankful she was for Pietro. Then she said she was thankful for Steve’s mom for taking them in and for Steve himself. She was thankful for seeing Steve move on, as hard as it was for him. She also said she was thankful for having a such a beautiful niece and that she was all right after recent events. Then she proceeded to say how thankful she was for Allison, saying she was a nice match for Pietro. Lastly, she said she was thankful that Bucky and Sam are always there for Steve when he needs it.

Livy’s turn was after Wanda’s. They were not expecting her to say much, but she did. “I’m thankful for Daddy and Aunt Wanda and Uncle Bucky and Uncle Sam and Uncle Pietro and Aunt Allison and Uncle Thor and Aunt Jane and Miss Darcy and Uncle Tony and Aunt Pepper and Uncle Clint and Aunt Laura and Cooper and Lila and Nathaniel and all my friends from school and especially for Miss Nat,” she ended.

“It seems to me that Livy has more affection for Natasha than for you, Steve,” Sam whispered to him.

Steve rolled his eyes before starting to say what he was thankful for. “Well, first of all, I’m thankful that you all could come and spend Thanksgiving with Livy and me. I’m thankful for the big meal Wanda and Allison put together. The food was amazing, and I’m pretty sure the dessert is just as good. Next, I’m thankful that Livy is getting better from her surgery and that nothing major happened. I really can’t imagine my life without her. Lastly, I’m thankful for each and every one of my friends, including, of course, the ones that aren’t present. You all have helped me through the tough times in my life and haven’t ever given up on me. I appreciate that so much. I don’t know what I’d do without you or where I’d be if it weren’t for your support and encouragement. Thank you so much.”

Wanda wiped away at the tears that had escaped her eyes. “That was so sweet, Steve. I’m sure we’re all glad to help you out, and we’ll always be here for you.”

Everyone else nodded in agreement.

“So, who is ready for dessert?” Allison asked as she got up to start clearing the table.

Everyone said that they were ready for it, so Wanda and Allison got busy with taking the dirty dishes to the kitchen and bringing out the different desserts.

They all enjoyed the delicious dessert while they talked. It couldn’t have been a better night. Well, in Steve’s opinion, it could have better had Natasha been able to come. His feelings he had buried a couple of months ago were starting to resurface after he broke up with Sharon. They were actually getting stronger, and he didn’t know what to do about them. He knew that he had to tell Livy first about his breakup with Sharon, and this time, he would be sure to ask Livy’s honest opinion about his choice before starting to date someone.

When Wanda was saying goodnight to him, she whispered, “When are you going to tell Maggie?”

“Soon,” was Steve’s response which earned him a ‘you’d better’ look from Wanda.

Once everyone left, Steve tucked Livy into bed. “Did you have a fun time tonight?”

“Yes, Daddy. Aunt Wanda and Aunt Allison make really good food.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it. Tomorrow, I need to tell you something, ok?”

“What, Daddy?”

“I’ll tell you tomorrow. Right now, you need to sleep.”

“But I’m not tired,” she said as she began to yawn.

“Good night, Princess,” Steve whispered and gave her a kiss on the forehead before turning off her lamp and leaving her room. He trudged into his room knowing that he would need to have a rested mind for the conversation he would have with Livy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the long wait. I have been busy with finishing up the last of my tests for school, but I finally found some time to finish this chapter. I'm not sure when the next update will be, but I'll try to post it soon.
> 
> Also, I used the 2010 Thanksgiving football game for reference.


	36. Chapter 34

The next day was pretty laid back for both Steve and Livy. They woke up around noon and had a quick brunch which consisted of omelets and yogurt. After brunch, Steve permitted Livy to watch tv while he cleared the dishwasher, loaded it with the morning’s dishes, and put the clean dishes away. Thirty minutes later, he entered the living room and sat next to Livy on the couch. She was watching the movie Leap for the fiftieth time. He loved watching how Livy’s eyes shown like stars every time she watched the movie. She would even get up at times and dance herself. This particular day though, she was content to just snuggle up to Steve’s side.

As the ending credits began to roll, Livy spoke up. “Daddy, what did you want to tell me?” She adjusted herself a bit after asking the question.

Steve reached for the remote and turned off the television. He took a deep breath before starting. “Livy, what I’m going to tell you is very important. It requires your full attention. Can you do that?”

Steve felt Livy nodding her head against his side. He sat up a bit straighter causing Livy to once again switch her position. Steve sat sideways so that he could face her. He was digging in his brain for the right words to tell Livy so that she could understand.

“Livy, have you been wondering why Sharon hasn’t come around lately? Well, to be more specific, why she hasn’t come to see you since your surgery?” Steve slowly asked.

Livy shrugged. “I guess.”

“I want to tell you why she hasn’t been around. The day of your surgery, I called her to let her know what was going on and to tell her to come to the hospital. That day, I saw that she didn’t really care about you, so I broke up with her. Do you know what that means?”

“My friend Cindy’s parents broke up, and they don’t live together or talk together anymore.”

“Well, it’s something like that except that Sharon wasn’t living here with us. We aren’t going to date anymore, so you won’t see her around. And, I’m not going to marry her.”

Livy’s face broke into a wide grin. “YEEEESSSSS!!!! Does that mean you’re going to date Miss Nat now?”

Steve wasn’t surprised by her reaction figuring out she would be more than happy about it, but the last question caught him completely off guard. “What? No. I don’t know. It’s too soon for that right now. I still want to talk to you about another important thing before that conversation.”

Livy frowned obviously not satisfied with Steve’s answer.

“Wanda told me about a month ago how Sharon really treated you. Why didn’t you tell me anything?”

Livy was serious. She looked down at the floor. “I didn’t want _her_ to send me away from you.”

“You do know that I would have never let that happen. You’re everything to me, Livy. You’re more important than Sharon. I would have probably broken up with her a lot sooner if you would have told me.”

“I’m sorry I lied, Daddy,” she said, her eyes brimming her tears. “I didn’t mean to.”

Steve enveloped her in his arms, and Livy’s tears let loose. “Shh, it’s ok, Livy. I’m not mad at you. Disappointed? Yes, but you’re still young. I understand that you were afraid of her. I’m the one who’s sorry for not asking you how you truly felt about her.”

After a couple more minutes, Livy’s sobbing turned into sniffles. Steve wiped her cheeks with his thumb.

“I promise that I’ll ask your opinion first before starting to date again, but I want you to give me an honest answer when the time does come.”

Livy nodded. “Dad-dy, I li-ke Mi-ss Nat. She’s n-ice,” she sniffled.

Steve smiled down at her. “I know, Princess. I like her too.”

“C-can she b-be my new mo-mmy?”

Once again, Livy caught him off guard with her question. “I don’t have a problem with that because I know you love her, and I’m pretty sure she loves you. But I’d have to ask her first. If she says no, then there’s nothing else I can do.”

“She’ll say yes,” Livy whispered.

Even though Steve heard, he didn’t answer her. He didn’t want to get her hopes up, but he also didn’t want to crush them. “Do you want to watch another movie?”

Livy shook her head. “I want to color with you.”

“Ok, I’ll go get the coloring books, drawing notebooks, and crayons,” Steve said as he got up from the couch.

The rest of the day was spent with the both of them coloring and drawing. When dinner time rolled around, Steve ordered pizza, and once it was there, they popped in another movie to watch. Steve enjoyed this day spent with Livy. They hadn’t done something like that since Livy entered school, and he truly did miss it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter is way shorter than my recent chapters, but I couldn't add any more to this. I was planning on doing a time jump in this chapter, but once I finished this part, I knew I couldn't do it. It didn't seem right, so I made this chapter a pure Steve and Livy chapter. I'll hopefully be updating again on Wednesday.


	37. Chapter 35

_December_

After dropping Livy off at school, Steve found himself sitting in his car in the underground parking lot of Stark Tower. He was debating whether or not to go in and speak with Tony. Well, he did have a reason to see Tony than just exclusively talking to him. He needed to pick up the check the jewelry store issued to get his money back for the ring. But he did need some advice, and he knew Tony could give him some. Finally deciding to go in, Steve stepped out of his car. Once in the elevator, he pressed the number 20. When he stepped out of the elevator on the 20th floor, JARVIS’s voice was heard over the speakers. “Good morning, Captain Rogers. Would you like me to inform Mr. Stark that you’re here to see him?”

“Yes, please, JARVIS.”

“I’ll do so right away.”

Steve entered the living room area and sat down on the couch while he waited for Tony. He started thinking about the topic he needed advice in. He was so lost in thought that he didn’t hear the elevator ding signaling Stark’s arrival.

“Well, what do we have here? Capsicle is actually visiting me so early in the morning! Never thought I’d live to see the day,” Tony sarcastically said as he walked into the living room.

Steve stood up when he heard his voice. “Good morning to you too, Tony,” he said as they gave themselves a manly hug and pat on the back.

“So to what do I owe this pleasure?” Tony asked as they both sat on the couch again.

“I came to pick up my check assuming you actually returned the ring and didn’t cash the check yourself,” explained Steve.

“And here I thought you were visiting just because you wanted to visit me,” Tony said with mock hurt.

Steve smiled. “Sorry to disappoint.”

“Well, lucky for you, I have the check in my wallet.” Tony stood up, took his wallet out, and gave him the check.

“Thanks, Tony. I owe you one.”

Tony laughed. “Nah, I think I owe you more things than you owe me, so I think this makes us a bit evener.”

“In that case, we can even it out more.”

“Oh?” Tony raised his eyebrows. “How do you exactly want me to do that?”

“I need some advice on a certain subject,” Steve replied.

Tony smirked. “You have your eyes on a woman, don’t ya?”

Steve frowned. “How did you know that?”

“For as long as I can remember, you’ve never been good around women. After many long years, one marriage and one failed relationship, you still haven’t changed. Besides, why would someone come to me for advice if it wasn’t about women? Everyone knows that I’m an expert in that field.”

Steve sighed. “Yes, it’s about a woman. You see, I really like her and want to date her, but I’m not sure I should ask her just yet.”

“You should totally ask Natasha out. I’m pretty sure she’ll say yes,” Tony quickly advised.

“I never said it was Natasha.”

“Pfft, I’ve seen the way you look at her. It couldn’t be anyone else.”

Steve sighed again. “Am I really that obvious?”

Tony laughed. “Oh, yeah you are. So why are you doubting asking her?”

“Well, first, I broke up with Sharon about a month ago, so I don’t want to make it seem like Natasha is just a rebound. Second, based on previous conversations, I don’t think she’s ready to dive in a relationship with what she’s suffered in the past,” admitted Steve.

“Ok, I see your problem. Here’s what I would do. I would tell her something like, ‘Natasha, I’ve really liked you since I first saw you. Since I was in a relationship and I was too stubborn to terminate it right then and there, I pushed my feelings down and covered them with a layer of dirt making sure they wouldn’t resurface. Once I saw Sharon’s true colors, I broke up with her. Now, those feelings I experienced the first time I laid eyes on you have burst out and gotten even stronger. I want to ask you out, but I want to make it clear that you are not a rebound. I have very strong feelings for you, and I haven’t felt this way about anyone in over a year. I don’t need an answer now. I know you need time to think about it, but please consider it. It would give my heart such joy if you say yes. Please, promise me you’ll think about it.’” Tony finished his mini-speech.

Once Tony was done, Steve burst out laughing.

“That was not at all funny, Rogers. It was true emotion.”

“I’m sorry, but you said it at the beginning. That is something _you_ would say. I would never say something like that.”

“Say all you want, but I can assure you this example speech will be in your mind when you finally decide to ask her out.”

Steve shook his head. “I think I should just wait a bit longer. Saves me the trouble of saying something along those lines.”

“No! Don’t you dare wait because if you wait, someone else is going to swoop in and take her. Do it as soon as possible. Wait, I could help you out. Invite her for the Christmas Charity Ball I’m having a week before Christmas. There you can get up on stage and say some beautiful heart touching speech to her over the microphone. It will also serve as an ‘I already forgot about you’ speech for Sharon. Then I play a nice slow song, and you invite her to dance. This is perfect!”

The only word to describe Steve’s face at the moment is true despair. “No, Tony, I can’t. I’m not going to the Charity Gala this year. I don’t think I can do it. I don’t think I’m ready to face Sharon again after everything that has happened. Also, it would not be a good idea for Natasha to go as my ‘date’ to that thing. I’ll still donate money, but I just can’t go.”

Tony pouted. “Aw, come on, Cap. Let loose. If you don’t go, the Gala won’t be the same.”

“It will be considering that I don’t do anything in those types of parties.”

“Fine, then.” Tony started to think of another way. “I know! Ask her for our Christmas Eve dinner. I’m sure she’d want to come. Well, if she doesn’t have anyone to spend it with, I’m sure she’d want to. No one likes to be lonely on Christmas. You can ask her there. I’ll make sure everyone gives the two of you privacy when you ask for it.”

“I know for a fact she doesn’t have anyone the spend Christmas with, so I’ll invite her only for the fact that I don’t want her to spend it alone. But, I’m not going to ask her. Whatever you say isn’t going to change my mind.”

“Geeze, why do you have to be so stubborn? I’ll tell you what. You ask her on Christmas Day. Any girl would want to be asked out on a date on Christmas Day if it’s not Valentine’s. But you will ask her. If not, I know a guy that would love to ask her out.”

“Oh yeah? Who’s that?” Steve challenged.

“Me. I’ve actually already done that, but Pepper had to ruin it. Now, I’ll make sure she’s not there when I do ask her out.”

Steve glared at him. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Oh, yes, I would.”

“Pepper won’t like it if you do.”

“Are you sure she’d be the only one not to like it? Because I’m pretty sure that face your sporting right now is one of pure jealousy.”

Steve rolled his eyes. “Ugh…fine…I’ll ask her out on Christmas Day. Better said, I’ll ask her to think about it.”

“New it would work! Ok, now, don’t forget to invite her for Christmas Eve dinner even though my perfectly perfect plan won’t be carried out that night.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll invite her. I’ll make sure to let her know you came up with the idea.”

“That’s hilarious, Cap. Well, it’s been nice chatting with you, but I’ve been getting messages nonstop from Pepper. Something about a video conference she’s in right now and the business associates wanting me to be present at this very moment. One would think that transferring the CEO title to someone else would mean no more meetings or conferences, but that’s not the case,” he complained.

“That’s what happens when you’re the famous genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist named Tony Stark.”

“Haha, very funny.” Tony got up and started walking towards the elevator. “Don’t forget!” he called out before the elevator doors closed.

“I won’t!” Steve answered.

Steve stayed in the empty room for a few minutes thinking about everything Tony had just told him. He sounded pretty sure when he said Natasha would say yes, but Steve was still a bit skeptical. Well, he needed to take things one at a time. He first needed to ask her to the Christmas Eve dinner. Then he could worry about asking her to think about going out with him. 

* * *

 

The next day, Steve headed right to the ballet school once he dropped Livy off at school. He wanted to wait until he had confirmation from Natasha before telling Livy because he didn’t want to get her hopes up. It was around 9:00 A.M. when Steve arrived. If it so happened that she be teaching a ballet class, he would wait until she was done. Bracing himself with courage, he walked up the steps and into the ballet school. “Good morning, Miss Johnson,” he greeted upon arriving at the desk.

Daisy looked up from the paperwork she was filling out. “Good morning, Mr. Rogers. How’s Livy doing?”

“She’s doing much better. She should be back here for classes at the beginning of the new year,” Steve informed.

“That’s wonderful news! So what brings you here this early in the morning?”

“I’m here to talk to Miss Romanoff. Is she available at the moment?”

“You’re in luck today. She usually has a class at this hour, but her student canceled last minute. I’m guessing she’s in the ballet room right now. She’s probably cleaning or straightening things out in there. You can go right in. I’m sure it won’t be a problem.”

“Thanks, Miss Johnson.” Steve casually walked to the practice room. As he neared it, he heard faint music. Thinking she was probably listening to it while she was cleaning, he didn’t bother to knock. What he saw upon entering was something he was not expecting. Natasha was dancing to a compilation of classical pieces. He had seen her dance before, but it was always with her students. This time, it was different. It was evident that she was completely lost in the movements because she had yet to acknowledge his presence. Steve leaned against the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest as he watched her. He was in awe of her every move. She danced with so much grace and so much passion. The song soon ended, and Steve couldn’t stop himself from clapping. “That was beautiful!” he complimented.

Natasha was now fully aware of her surroundings and was a bit startled to hear Steve’s voice. She blushed slightly at his compliment. “I didn’t realize I was being watched,” she said as she got her water bottle and walked towards him.

“I thought of announcing myself, but you seemed like you were in a whole different place.”

Natasha gave him a half smile. “I was. Every time I dance to that music, I’m back in the orphanage in Russia dancing at a ballet recital. I lose myself. But enough about that, ‘cause something’s telling me that you didn’t come all the way down here just to see me dance.”

“You’re not wrong about that.” He suddenly felt very nervous and for a moment forgot the reason he went to see her. All the courage he had mustered before walking in had gone completely out the window.

“Spill, Rogers. Why did you come down here? Is it something about Livy? I still have her position opened if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Steve shook his head. “No, that’s not the reason I came down here. Uh, do you have any plans for Christmas Eve?”

“Not yet, and I don’t think I will. I was planning on just staying home and sleeping,” she answered as if it was a natural thing for her to do.

“Oh…in that case, I want to invite you, well, better said, Tony wants to invite you to spend Christmas Eve at Stark Tower with the crew. Well, technically, it’ll just be Tony, Pepper, Clint and his family, Bruce, Bucky, Wanda, Livy, and me. We’d love to have you join us.”

“Oh, that’s so sweet of both Tony and you. Of course, I’ll go. It’s not like I have something better to do.”

Steve’s eyes brightened. “There is one more thing I wanted to ask.”

“Go on ahead, I’m listening.”

“Well, if you don’t have any plans for Christmas Day, you’re more than welcomed to spend it with Wanda, Bucky, Livy, and me. In the morning, we’ll all be opening presents at my house. And in the afternoon, we’re going to Buck’s mom’s house for Christmas dinner. It’s been a tradition for quite some time. I believe his sister and family will also be there.”

Natasha was a bit surprised to hear that offer. “Um, wow, I don’t know what to say. Uh, I wouldn’t want to impose on you guys like that. I never really celebrated Christmas growing up, so it’s no big deal to me if I spend it alone.”

Steve felt sorry for her for not celebrating Christmas while she was a child. Now, he knew she had to celebrate with them. “It’s no imposition. I’m sure Aunt Winnie will love the extra company. She always makes enough food to feed an army, so there’s no problem with that.”

“Are you sure?” Natasha asked a bit doubtfully.

“I’m positive,” Steve assured.

Natasha still seemed a bit skeptical about the whole thing, and Steve started thinking she would decline.

“Please, say yes,” Steve pleaded hopefully. He gave her the puppy eyes she had seen on Livy so many times before when she wanted something. She now knew where she got that from.

“Ok, if you insist, I’ll go,” Natasha replied with a small smile.

Steve breathed a sigh of relief. “I promise you, you’ll have the best Christmas ever. You’ll never forget it.”

Natasha raised an eyebrow at him. “I’m now expecting you, Mr. Rogers, to live up to that promise.”

“I won’t disappoint you. Christmas at the Barnes’ is always fun. Especially now that Becca has a family, and I have Livy. Now, we add you to the mix, and we’re going to have a blast.”

Natasha laughed. “If you say so.”

“You just wait and see.”

Steve and Natasha walked out of the room. Before they got to the lobby, Steve stopped her. “One more thing.”

Natasha looked at him with furrowed brows.

“Tony gave Livy a sort of party dress when she was still in the hospital, and he wants her to wear it on Christmas Eve since it is a bit of a formal affair. Knowing a bit about little girls, they love to look their best when they have such a fancy dress on. I don’t know a thing about styling hair, so would you come over that day and help her get ready? I know I’m asking a bit much, but you can use the bathroom so that you can get ready before leaving. I just think Livy would like to go a bit more dressed up, and the fact that you got her ready for Christmas Eve dinner at her Uncle Tony and Aunt Pepper’s house would just make her day,” Steve explained.

“Oh, I’d love to help her out. I’m not an expert, but I know I can do better than you.”

“Thank you, Natasha. That would really help me out.”

“I’m the one who should be thanking you, Steve, for being so kind and inviting me to your Christmas celebrations.”

“Well, I’ve never liked the idea of having someone I care about spending the holidays by themselves.”

“That’s very noble of you. Not many people would do the same as you,” she said as she looked into those captivating blue eyes. Those eyes that could make someone feel safe, loved, and cared for. Those eyes that one could easily get lost in.

As she was staring into his blue eyes, he was staring into her green ones. He loved getting lost in those pretty eyes of hers. Eventually, he noticed her gaze dropped to his lips and back again, and he caught himself doing the same thing. He knew that if they continued to stare at each other nothing would be able to stop them from closing the space they had between them and kiss. He couldn’t let that happen, at least not until he told her how he felt about her and asked her out. He broke eye contact and looked down at the floor. “Well, I’d better get going. Duty calls.”

Natasha also snapped out of the gaze. She was a bit disappointed things didn’t go further, but in a way, she was glad they didn’t. “Yeah, you’re right. I have a class in about fifteen minutes.”

“I’ll text you the time you should be at my house on Christmas Eve once I knew at what time we need to be at Stark Tower.”

“Ok, thanks once again for the invite. It was really sweet of you,” she said with all sincerity.

“You’re welcome. I hope you have a good day.”

“Yeah, you too.”

Steve walked out the lobby alone. Natasha didn’t take her eyes off of him watching as he got further away. How could he make her feel like she was the only person in the world with only a stare that didn’t last even five minutes? She shook her head. _“Nope, he broke up with his girlfriend a couple of weeks ago. He can’t possibly be over her so quickly. He’s probably just looking for a rebound, and in no way am I going to be that person. Besides, you’re still not ready to date even if he were wanting to pursue a relationship. You can’t just give your heart away without being sure that the person isn’t going to dump you weeks later,”_ she scolded herself mentally. _“You’re better off as friends.”_

Steve, on the other hand, knew that he was head over heels for Natasha. He realized that Christmas Day would be the perfect time to ask her to consider going out with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I posted this chapter today, June 6, in honor of celebrating a year since I published the Prologue on this website. I actually don't remember what inspired me to write it or what made me decide to post it. All I remember is sitting down at my computer and typing the Prologue with an idea in mind. At the time, I was planning to write a short story, and I actually had a different idea entirely of how it was going to play out. I look back at the ideas for the story I had written a while back, and I realized how different this story is coming along. I was not expecting to have all the support that you lovely readers have given me, especially after not posting in some 5-6 months. I honestly thought that I had lost all of my readers because of not posting in that long period of time, so I was surprised when I started getting reviews. I want to thank you all for your lovely reviews and your unfailing support. I wouldn't be able to write this story without all of you. I appreciate it so much!
> 
> Well, next up, we'll be having a little Christmas in June, haha. I'm not sure if I'll be able to post it this week or until next week. I have some of it written already, so it's just a matter of finishing it.
> 
> One last thing, on my Wattpad, I posted a video of the ballet routine Natasha was dancing. If you're interested in watching it, I'll put the link so that you can head over there.
> 
> https://www.wattpad.com/585289898-finding-love-again-chapter-35


	38. Chapter 36

Christmas Eve, Livy was bouncing up and down with excitement all day. She was excited to get to spend most of the evening at Stark Tower where Tony, Pepper, Clint, Laura, Cooper, Lila, Nathaniel, Bucky, Wanda, Bruce, and most importantly, Natasha would be gathering. She couldn’t wait to get there.

At first, Livy would ask Steve every hour if it was almost time to leave. As the time drew closer, she started asking every half hour and eventually every five minutes.

“Daddy, is it time to go yet?” Livy asked for the hundredth time that day.

Steve smiled. “Not yet. There’s still about 2 hours left. Patience, Princess.”

Livy sighed loudly.

“Besides, you still need to take a bath before leaving,” Steve pointed out.

“And then I get to put on my pretty dress?” Livy asked with shining eyes.

Steve nodded. “Yes, you will.”

“Yay!” Livy once again started jumping up and down.

Just then, the doorbell rang, and as always, Livy ran to the door. Steve knew who it was already, so he only followed her to let her open the door. However, when Livy got to the door, she stood there waiting for Steve. “Daddy! Can I open the door?”

“Yes, you may, Princess,” Steve answered as he walked up behind her.

Livy opened up the door and squealed when she saw who it was. “Miss Nat!” Livy closed the distance between them and gave Natasha a huge bear hug.

Steve couldn’t wipe the wide grin off his face when he saw how excited Livy was.

“Hi, Livy!” Natasha said.

“What are you doing here?” Livy asked a bit confused now as to why she was here.

“Well, your daddy told me that someone needs to help you get all pretty for the Christmas party you’re going to later on today.”

Livy clapped her hands. “I want to show you my dress,” she said as she grabbed Natasha’s hand and started pulling her inside.

That’s when Natasha noticed Steve and gave him a sweet apologetic smile for not saying hi earlier. Steve reciprocated her smile. “I’ll let you two girls have your fun. I’ll be in my office for about another half hour if you need anything. If I’m not in there, I’ll probably be in my room getting ready.”

“Thanks, Steve,” Natasha said.

“Oh, and you’re more than welcomed to use the bathroom to get ready yourself if you need to,” he reminded.

Natasha nodded quickly before she followed an impatient Livy to her room. Once there, Livy picked up the dress that was on the bed. “This is my dress,” she said as she “put it on” and twirled.

“Wow! That dress is beautiful!”

“Uncle Tony gave it to me.”

“Well, he definitely has good taste. What do you say we go to the bathroom so that you can take a bath? Then you’ll be able to put on that pretty dress.”

“Ok,” Livy happily agreed. She ran off towards the bathroom with Natasha at her heels.

Livy was very cooperative during her bath time, maybe more so than with Steve. Twenty minutes later, Livy had her bathrobe on and was in her room.

“Ok, I think that I’ll comb your hair first then blow dry it so that your wet hair won’t drip on your new dress,” Natasha told her.

“Can you curl it?” Livy asked.

“Of course, I can. I was actually thinking about curling my own hair.”

Livy sat on her bed, and Natasha sat behind her with Livy’s comb in her hand. She started to gently comb out Livy’s hair making sure she wouldn’t pull too hard when she came across a tangle.

“I get to open some presents tonight,” Livy commented.

“Oh, really?”

“Yes!” Livy eagerly said.

“What are you hoping you get?”

“I want a dollhouse and a play kitchen and a coloring book and a baby doll and Barbie dolls and jewelry and nail polish and a new teddy bear and a princess dress and a tiara and slippers.”

“Wow! Those are a lot of toys. I hope you get at least some of those. You know, I have a present for you.”

“You do?”

Natasha hummed. “But you won’t get it until tomorrow.”

“Why?” Livy asked with a whine.

“Because tomorrow is actually Christmas. Besides, if I give it to you today, I won’t come tomorrow, and you wouldn’t want that to happen, right?”

Livy shook her head. “Nuh uh.”

“I’m going to blow dry your hair now. It may be a little loud.”

Natasha got up and grabbed her blow drier and looked for a contact to connect it to. When she found one, she noticed that the cord wasn’t long enough to reach the bed. “Livy, I’m going to need you to come over here so that I can blow dry your hair.”

“Ok.” Livy jumped down from her bed and stood in front of Natasha.

Five minutes later, Livy’s hair was all dry. “Your hair is all dry. Now, let’s put on your dress.”

Livy’s eyes brightened, and she ran towards her bed. Natasha unzipped the dress and set it on the bed. She helped Livy out of her bathrobe and helped her put on her tights. Then, she slipped the dress onto Livy zipping it up on the back. “There you go! You want to look at yourself in the mirror?”

Livy nodded. Natasha took her by the hand and led her to the full body mirror she had seen in Livy’s room. She loved seeing Livy’s reaction when she saw herself. “I look so pretty!”

“Indeed you do! You look like a princess.”

“I’m going to go show Daddy!” Livy exclaimed and dashed out of the room.

“Wait, Livy!” Natasha said as she ran after her. “I still need to curl your hair! And I think your Daddy is busy getting ready!”

But Livy didn’t listen to her. Instead, she barged into Steve’s room. “Daddy! Daddy! Come see me in my dress!”

Natasha silently cursed under her breath because she now had to step in there to get her out. “Livy, I need to finish getting you ready,” she said as she peeked into the bedroom from the doorway.

It was a pretty warm, cozy bedroom. Across the entrance against a wall was the bed with two nightstands with lamps on either side of it. Across from the bed was a flat screen tv hanging on the wall and a fireplace. There was a closed door to the wall on the left side of the bed which she assumed to either be a closet or bathroom. She spotted Livy by that door looking at it with waiting eyes. Natasha quietly entered hoping to grab Livy from behind and take her back to her room. As she was making her way towards Livy, the door opened revealing Steve with only a pair of dress pants on. His hair was still wet from his shower, and his perfect abs were in clear view. Natasha wanted to look away, but her eyes were glued to his shirtless chest.

“You look very pretty, Livy,” Natasha heard Steve compliment. “Is Miss Nat done getting you ready yet?”

Livy shook her head. “She’s going to curl my hair!”

Steve looked up then and saw Natasha. That’s what made Natasha avert her eyes. Feeling her cheeks heat up, she hoped Steve didn’t see her blushing. “I’m sorry. I just came to get her because she kind of escaped. We’ll let you get ready now.” She walked towards Livy and picked her up. “I’m sorry once again,” she apologized and quickly left the room.

Steve was a bit surprised to hear the nervousness in her voice, but he quickly figured out why. The thought of Natasha seeing him shirtless caused him to blush. He mentally scolded himself for not thinking about putting on his undershirt before opening the door.

When Natasha and Livy entered Livy’s bedroom, Natasha closed the door and sighed. The memory of a shirtless Steve would be forever ingrained in her mind.

“Are you ok, Miss Nat?” an innocent looking Livy inquired.

Natasha smiled. “Yes, I am. Come, let’s curl your hair now.”

Natasha curled Livy’s hair and sprayed it with hairspray once she was done. “Now, Livy, I’m going to go change in the bathroom and get ready myself. I need you to be a good girl while you wait for your dad to finish getting ready. Can you do that for me?”

“Yes, Miss Nat,” Livy said seriously.

Natasha smiled at her. “I’ll try not to take long.” Natasha left the room and walked to the bathroom where she bathed Livy. There she put on her dress for the night and spent the rest of her time putting on makeup and curling her hair.

It was almost time for all three of them to leave, and Natasha wasn’t out of the bathroom yet. Steve and Livy were in the living room waiting for her. Livy was playing with some of her Barbie dolls while Steve paced around the room slightly looking at his watch every now and then. Finally, he said, “Livy, can you knock on the bathroom door and tell Miss Nat that we’ll be leaving in five minutes?”

Livy reluctantly put her dolls down and got up from off the floor. But before she could leave the living room, Natasha entered. “I’m sorry that I took a little longer than expected,” she apologized.

“It’s ok,” Steve said in a bit of a daze. The red dress she was wearing hugged all her curves perfectly. Her red hair came down in soft curls. He couldn’t believe how amazing she looked. He didn’t notice how long he was staring at her.

“You look so beautiful!” Livy exclaimed what Steve had in his mind.

“Why thank you,” she said. The turned to Steve, “Well, we should probably be heading out now if we don’t want to be late,” Natasha said, snapping Steve out of his daze.

“You’re right. Come on, Livy. Let’s get your coat and mittens on.” Steve helped Livy into her winter coat, mittens, and boots while Natasha put her on her own coat, gloves, and boots. Once Steve was done with Livy, he stood up and took out the car keys from his pocket. “Natasha, could you do me a huge favor?”

“Of course, I can,” she answered.

He handed her his car keys. “Could you open the car, buckle Livy in, and turn on the heater while I clean the snow off the windshield?”

“You bet I can,” she said as she took the keys. “Livy, let’s go get into the car.”

Livy took Natasha’s hand and held it. Steve watched as the two headed towards the car. He then put on his own coat, gloves, and boots. He grabbed the present bags and the bags with their shoes and headed outside. He put those in the car trunk and went back to lock the house. After locking the house, he cleared the snow off the windshield. By the time he got into the car, it was already nice and warm. “Thanks, Natasha for helping me out.”

“It was no problem,” she said smiling warmly at him.

Steve smiled back causing them to stare for a little bit. Finally breaking eye contact, Steve said, “Let’s get going then.” He put the car in reverse and backed out of the driveway. Once he was out, he switched to drive, and they were on their way. 

* * *

 

Once Steve parked in the underground parking lot of the Tower, Natasha put on her heels while Steve put on Livy’s flats and then put on his dress shoes. After they were done, they all got out of the car and headed to the elevator. Steve, being the gentleman he is, let both Livy and Natasha go in first. When he got in, he pressed the number 20. As soon as the elevator stopped on the 20th floor and the doors opened, Livy shot out of the elevator to go find Lila. It gave Steve and Natasha a moment to themselves.

Natasha looked up at Steve as they walked out. “I just wanted to say how sorry I am about earlier. I shouldn’t have stepped foot in your room without permission.”

Steve shook his head. “It’s fine. Livy went in. It was only natural for you to get her out of there so that you could finish getting her ready. I’m sorry about…” he trailed off not wanting to end the sentence. His cheeks began to show a pink tint.

Natasha also blushed knowing what he was referring to. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, you have a good build,” she said. Realizing that she might have sounded a bit flirtatious, she tried to fix it. “I mean, you have a desk job and a daughter to take care of. Most men like that wouldn’t even think about working out on a regular basis. I should stop talking. There’s someone behind me, isn’t there?” she finished as she saw Steve’s amused expression.

He slightly nodded his head in response.

Natasha turned around slowly and came face to face with Clint. “I’m just going to pretend I didn’t hear any of that rambling,” he said. “How ya doing, Nat?”

Natasha smiled nervously. “Um, I think under the circumstances, I could be better. How are you? Where are Laura and the kids?”

“I’m fine. Laura is in the kitchen with Pepper, I believe. Cooper is talking with the new kid Tony invited. Lila is with Livy playing in their playroom, and Nathaniel is with Wanda.”

“Then, I’ll be on my way to say hello,” Natasha informed before leaving both Steve and Clint.

Once she was out of earshot, Clint asked, “What was that about?”

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Steve replied pretending not to know.

“Has anyone told you you’re a terrible liar?”

“Actually, yes, several people.”

Clint smiled. “Yeah, but don’t listen to me. I usually know who’s lying. Privileges of being a detective. So, being a detective, I’m going to get to the bottom of this. What happened that made her say all of that?”

Steve sighed. “It’s embarrassing.”

“What’s embarrassing?” he heard a voice behind him ask.

Steve cringed knowing who the voice belonged to. He slowly turned around to face him. “Hi, Tony.”

“Don’t you ignore my question. What’s embarrassing?”

“Nothing is embarrassing.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “You’re a terrible liar, you know that right?”

“Now, you see, he’s not a detective. You can trust him,” Clint put in. “I’ll fill you in on what I know. Basically, Natasha was rambling to Steve about how he has a good build and she’s surprised that with having a desk job and caring for Livy, he still finds time to work out.”

Tony grinned. “Now, why would she say that?” he asked elbowing him in the ribs.

Steve shot him a glare.

“Wow, Steve, you get here and have everyone but me in on this conversation. I must say that I’m hurt,” Bucky said as he came up. “But don’t worry I heard everything Clint just said, and I’m pretty sure Bruce did too.”

Bruce came out from behind Clint and Bucky. “I’d rather not be a part of this conversation,” he said quietly.

“No, it’s just getting to the good part. You’re staying here,” Tony demanded. “But let’s go sit in the living room so that we can get comfortable. Does anyone want something to drink? Let me remind you I have an open bar.”

They all shook their heads no, much too eager to hear Steve’s explanation. Taking their seats on the couches, they all looked straight at Steve. He started getting a bit uncomfortable. “So, uh, what’s this about you inviting a new kid, Tony?”

“Nice try, Rogers. You’ll meet him soon enough, but first, you’re going to tell us why Natasha told you that. Did you already follow my advice?”

“What!? No! Not yet. It’s not the time.”

“So if it wasn’t because of that, what happened? Why did she say that?” Tony urged.

“I said it’s embarrassing. I’d rather not talk about it.”

“Oh, come on, punk. Just spill it already because once she’s here, you won’t say anything,” Bucky said.

“Fine! If it’ll get you all off my back, I’ll tell you.”

Bruce started to get up, but Tony pulled him back down. “You’re not going anywhere. He won’t repeat himself after this, so you’ll have to be here, or you’ll miss it.”

Silence fell upon them again as they all sat on the edge of the couch waiting for Steve to spill. “She went to my house to help Livy get ready. Livy escaped from Natasha after she was done dressing, and Livy ran into my room to show me her dress. I had just gotten done with my shower, so I only put on my pants and opened the door. It turns out that Natasha was already in there and saw me shirtless.” He blushed deeply at the memory.

“That’s it! Oh, I thought it was something juicier!” Tony exclaimed.

“Yeah, so did I after hearing Natasha’s ramble,” Clint agreed.

Bucky just laughed. “You were embarrassed about telling us that! That’s nowhere near as embarrassing as when I-”

“Don’t you dare say another word,” Steve hissed. “And yes, it was embarrassing for both her and me. Now, I think I’ll have that drink you offered now, Tony.”

Tony was already making his way to the bar when a teenage boy with dark brown hair walked into the living room. “Mr. Stark, Miss Potts says that dinner’s ready,” he said in a perfect Queens accent.

“Thanks, Pete. Oh, I want you to meet one other person tonight, well, I’m not sure if you’ve met his daughter or Natasha yet, so it may not be the last person.” He walked him over to where Steve was sitting. “This is Steve Rogers. Steve, this is Peter Parker.”

“Nice to meet you, Peter.”

“Wait, you’re Steve Rogers as in Captain turned artist Steve Rogers?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

“I love your artwork. My Aunt May actually has a couple of your paintings. We go to the art gallery sometimes just to see if there’s anything new.”

“Well, I’m glad your aunt and you enjoy my work. If your aunt wants something in particular, she can always come to me. You can give her my card.” Steve got his wallet out and handed him a business card.

“Gee, thanks, Mr. Rogers! She’ll be glad to hear that!”

“Well, I don’t know about you guys, but I’m starving,” Clint interrupted.

“Yeah, we should probably head to the table now,” Bruce suggested.

They started heading towards the dining room. “Hey, Cap, do you still want that drink?” Tony asked as he came up behind him.

“Later. We’re having wine now right?”

“Yes, and it’s the best of the best.”

“I’ll stick with that then until dinner’s over.”

Upon entering the dining room, the men were welcomed with smells of ham, turkey, mashed potatoes, salad, and steamed vegetables. Greetings were exchanged amongst the ladies and Steve since he had yet to say hello.

“Before any of you sit down, I’d like to arrange the seating,” announced Tony. “Of course, I’ll be at one end of the table, and Pepper will be at the other end. Next to me on my right will be Wanda, Bucky, Cooper, Clint, Laura, and Nathaniel in the high chair. On Pepper’s right will be Steve, Natasha, Livy, Lila, Peter, and Bruce.”

Steve shot a glare at Tony’s amused face at the seating arrangement he just issued. Tony only shook his head at him with a smile.

Once everyone was seated, Pepper said, “Well, this is going to be family style, so if you want a certain dish, just ask for it.”

For the next fifteen minutes or so, food was being passed around the table as each person was serving themselves. Steve was a bit worried because he wasn’t next to Livy to serve her food. Natasha sensed his worry, so she whispered, “It’s fine. I’ll make sure she eats a little of everything.”

Steve relaxed instantly at her reassurance, and he smiled at her. “Thank you.”

Dinner ran rather smoothly. Livy and Lila were in their own little world chattering about what they hoped to receive for Christmas. For a while, one side of the table was absorbed in conversation while the other side was in a different conversation. Every so often though, the conversations would get mixed.

Following dinner, they all went into the living room so that they could all talk together. As always, Livy and Lila ran off to play. Cooper stayed in the living room with Peter for a bit before deciding he wanted to go play as well.

After about an hour, dessert was served, and gifts were exchanged. The adults didn’t open theirs because they wanted to witness the excitement on the kids’ faces. Only one present could be opened though, so they had to choose wisely.

Cooper opened the present that Tony and Pepper gave him. He received a new baseball glove and an autographed baseball.

Lila opened the present from her Auntie Nat. She received a pair of star-shaped earrings with a necklace and bracelet to match.

Livy opened the present Clint and Laura gave her. She received a jewelry making kit which made Livy squeal with joy.

It was almost midnight when everyone started saying goodbye. Clint and his family were the first ones to leave since they had a bit of a long drive.  Bruce and Peter left soon afterward leaving Bucky, Wanda, Steve, Natasha, and Livy with Tony and Pepper. They stayed a little while longer before Steve got up. “Well, my little one is falling asleep, so Natasha and I will be going now.”

“I think it’s time Wanda and I should leave too,” Bucky said as he got up from the couch as well.

“Aww, leaving so soon? I thought for sure you guys would stay longer,” Tony complained.

“Don’t pay attention to him. He still has enough energy to stay up, and he knows I’m off to bed as soon as you all leave,” Pepper put in.

They all exchanged goodbyes and soon Steve and Natasha were in the car with a sleeping Livy in the back. Steve noticed that Natasha was dozing off on the way back to his house and knew she wouldn’t be able to drive home with such tiredness.

Steve parked the car in the garage, so it would be easier to get into the house. He unlocked the door and let Natasha in before retrieving Livy from the car. He tucked Livy into her bed and went back down into the living room. He found Natasha had fallen asleep lying down on one of the couches. He quietly made his way to her side and crouched down, gently shaking her awake. She cracked one of her eyes opened. When she saw it was Steve, she quickly opened both eyes and sat up. “I’m sorry for falling asleep on your couch. I was waiting for you before I left. I wanted to ask at what time I should be here tomorrow.”

Steve softly smiled at her. “I’m not letting you go home when you’re this drowsy. You can fall asleep at the wheel and have an accident. Besides, it’s really late. You can sleep in the guest room. The bed has clean sheets, so you don’t have to worry about it.”

“Thanks for the offer, Steve, but I don’t want to impose. I’m sure I’ll get home just fine,” Natasha said.

“Natasha, it’s no imposition, and like I said, I’m not going to let you drive home when you’re this tired,” Steve opposed. “Come, I’ll show you to the guest bedroom.”

Natasha got up and followed Steve up the stairs. They stopped at a door across from Livy’s room and next to Steve’s. Steve opened the door and showed her in. “There’s a bathroom in here if you want to use it. You can wake up at whatever time you’d like, but let me warn you that Livy might get up early and make a little noise. Don’t let that make you get up. You need to rest, so get up whenever you feel like it.”

Natasha smiled sleepily. “Thanks, Steve,” she said while stifling a yawn. “This is so kind of you.”

Steve smiled. “Now, get some rest. I’m right next door if you need anything.” He smiled one last time before walking out and closing the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed Peter's surprise appearance. I just had to put him in.
> 
> Sorry for the long wait. I was busy cleaning my room this week. I also wanted to include both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in this one, but I realized that there are too many things happening on Christmas Day that it would have made this chapter super long. That's why I decided to just post them separately. 
> 
> I wanted to let you all know that I am officially done with my school year, so I don't have that in my way. I will be a bit busy the rest of the summer, but I'll let you know when I'll be taking a break from writing the chapter before I do. For now, I'll give you the Christmas Day chapter either Monday or Tuesday of next week. The latest could be Wednesday. Depends on how busy I am.
> 
> To see pictures of the outfits for the Christmas Eve dinner, head over to my Wattpad account: https://www.wattpad.com/590265042-finding-love-again-chapter-36


	39. Chapter 37

The next morning, Natasha was awoken by giggling in the next room. She slowly opened her eyes and for a minute wondered where she was. The memories of the night before came rushing into her mind. She had slept over at Steve’s house. The giggling was Livy’s. It was Christmas morning. She checked her phone to see it was ten o’clock. She groaned a little knowing it was much too late for her to still be in bed. She thankfully still had the clothes she had worn yesterday when she got to Steve’s house, so she didn’t have to worry much. She made the bed before going to take a quick shower. After her shower, she looked through the cabinets to see if there was a toothbrush by any chance, and luckily for her, there was. She even found a little tube of toothpaste. She brushed her teeth, combed her hair, and applied some light makeup. Making sure the room resembled the way she found it the night before, she exited the room and went downstairs. The smell of gingerbread pancakes filled the air, so she knew Steve was in the kitchen. However, she was not prepared for the sight upon entering the kitchen. There Steve was, standing in front of the stove in his pajamas still. He obviously had his bedhead still. Sitting on the kitchen stool was Livy. She was also still in her pajamas, but she also had pancake batter all over her hands, some on her pajamas, and a little bit in her hair. Natasha was a bit stunned and was trying to not laugh at the sight before her.

Livy spotted her in the entrance and immediately smiled. “Hi, Miss Nat!” she said waving the mixing spoon.

“Good morning, Livy,” Steve heard Natasha respond.

He cringed a little because he was aware he was still in his pajamas and had messy hair, but he was also happy that she was already awake. He turned to face her with a smile on his face. “Good morning, Natasha.”

“Good morning, Steve,” she replied sweetly.

“Sorry for the mess and for my appearance. I honestly thought you’d sleep longer,” Steve said with a tinge of nervousness in his voice.

“That’s all right. If you want, I can finish up making the pancakes while you get Livy and yourself ready for the day,” Natasha offered.

“That’s kind of you, but you’re the guest,” Steve declined politely.

Natasha shook her head and made her way towards him. “It’s fine, really,” she countered as she grabbed a hold of the spatula. They’re hands lightly brushed against each other and a surge of electricity shot through the both of them.

Steve awkwardly moved aside. “Ok, I guess I’ll leave that up to you. Livy, let’s go clean you up.”

Livy jumped down from the kitchen stool and followed Steve upstairs.

Once they were gone, Natasha let go of a breath she didn’t know she was holding. Having Sharon out of the picture, Natasha’s hidden feelings for Steve surged to the surface of her heart. Her feelings started getting out of control ever since she saw Steve fresh out of the shower the day before. Now, add the feeling she felt with she lightly brushed Steve’s hand. Natasha took some deep breaths to calm herself down and thought to herself, _“Steve just got out of a relationship. There’s no way he’s looking for another one right now. Besides, if he were, he would never look my way. I basically pushed him away when he was dating Sharon. I’m pretty sure he was just experiencing pure lust. Anyway, I don’t think I’m ready for a relationship myself. I don’t know if I can ever trust a man with my heart again after Alexi.”_ She was in such deep thought that she didn’t realize that the pancake in the pan was burning because she hadn’t flipped it. The smell of burnt pancake pulled her from her thoughts. “Oh great!” she exclaimed as she flipped it. She sighed again and decided to just pay attention to the task at hand before she burnt all of the pancakes.

Thirty minutes later, Steve and Livy came down the stairs. As they were entering the kitchen, Steve began, “Is everything ok? I thought I smelled something burning earlier.” He looked around the kitchen but didn’t see her in there. The plates were all set on the breakfast bar with the pancakes in a covered pot. He furrowed his brow.

“Where’s Miss Nat?” Livy asked.

“I’m not sure,” Steve replied slightly confused as he looked around the kitchen again.

Natasha came in. “Great! You’re down here. The pancakes are ready. There is one that I claimed as mine since I kind of burnt it as I was not paying attention.”

Steve gave her a knowing look that indicated he knew already.

After breakfast, Livy opened her presents that Santa Claus had brought her. She squealed with excitement after opening each and every present.

Natasha observed Steve’s face as Livy did so. She saw that seeing his daughter so happy brought joy into his eyes. He was smiling the whole time which only caused Natasha to smile too.

Later on, while Livy was playing with her new toys, Natasha started looking at all the different ornaments on the tree. Some of them were store bought, and some were handmade. She was looking at a picture of Steve and Peggy when she felt Steve’s presence behind her.

“That was our first Christmas as a married couple. I was fortunate enough to be able to come home. They usually don’t let new recruits go back home for the holidays, but they sent me home for a reason I never discovered. I’m glad they did though,” Steve said with a hint of sadness in his voice.

Natasha nodded. “I was wondering about a certain picture.” She rounded the tree until she found it. “Who’s that lady with the boy?” she asked as she pointed to the picture.

Steve smiled sadly. “That’s my ma and me. I was about eight years old in that picture.”

Natasha’s eye’s widened. “That’s you?” she asked in disbelief.

“Yeah, I wasn’t much to look at at the time.”

“You were so adorable, and your mother was beautiful!”

Steve chuckled. “Yeah, my ma was beautiful, and she was one of the strongest women I’ve known. She was a nurse and usually worked a double shift in order for her to have enough money to provide for the both of us.”

“Wow! That must have been hard on her. Working in the hospital for two shifts and coming home to take care of you. I admire that!”

Steve smiled. “She did an amazing job, but the result was her getting sick later on. She developed tuberculosis. I know, it’s an uncommon disease nowadays, but there are people that still have it. She didn’t catch it in time, and when she realized it, it was already too late.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“It’s ok.”

“Do you miss her?”

“Every day, and even more during the holidays. On Christmas, she would always bake cookies for Buck and me. When Wanda and Pietro came into our lives, Wanda would help her out with that. She would always make everything special.”

“I would have loved to meet her. She sounds like a very caring and hardworking person.”

“Yeah, that was my mom. I would have loved it if you could have met her too. I’m pretty sure the both of you would have hit it off.”

Natasha smiled at his sweet words.

“At least you’ll be able to meet my Aunt Winnie, Bucky’s mom. My mom and she were the best of friends, and they had a similar personality. And that reminds me, we should probably get going.”

Natasha gasped. “I have to go home to change and get a couple of things.”

“Oh, that’s quite all right. We can head over to your place and go from there.”

“But isn’t that a little out of the way?” she pointed out.

“It is considering you live in Queens, but that’s quite all right. It’s no trouble for me.”

“I can’t let you do that. How about you give me the address, and I’ll go home in my car and arrive there later,” she suggested.

“There’s no way I’ll let you do that. We’ll go to your place first. And before you even think about offering to pay for my gas, I’ll let you know that I won’t let you. It’s something I want to do.”

“All right then. Let’s go before it gets any later,” surrendered Natasha.

“Let me just tell Livy to pick up her toys and pick out a couple she wants to take, and we’ll be on our way.”

**_Forty Minutes Later…_ **

Steve parked the car in the parking lot of Natasha’s apartment complex.

“I’ll be as quick as I can. Ten minutes max,” Natasha informed.

“Can I go with you?” Livy eagerly asked.

“Princess, she’s only going to change and get some stuff. She won’t be long,” Steve replied.

“Yeah, Livy. If I were going to be longer, I would let you come, but I’m basically just going to go in and out,” Natasha told her. Livy’s eyes saddened at that, and it didn’t escape Natasha. “I’m also going to go in for your present, so you won’t be able to guess which is yours if you go in with me.”

“Ok,” agreed Livy.

Natasha got out of the car and jogged to her apartment. Thankfully, she had already chosen her clothes the day before and all the presents were packed in a bag. It took her five minutes to change and fix her hair. She gave herself a quick once over before grabbing her purse and the bag with presents and dashing out the door. She locked it quickly and jogged back to the car. She opened the door and slid in. “Let’s go,” she said slightly out of breath.

Steve looked at her a bit surprised. “I thought it was going to take you longer.”

Natasha laughed. “I’m not the typical woman who spends hours and hours in front of her mirror to get her makeup just right. Besides, I did my makeup this morning. I just had to change and fix my hair.”

“Can I see my present now?” Livy asked from the backseat.

Natasha turned around to make eye contact with her. “Not now. You’ll only get more curious if you do. You’ll get to see it before you know it.”

* * *

 

About thirty minutes later, they finally arrived at the Barnes’s house. After parking the car, Steve quickly got out and opened the door for Natasha so that she could get out. Then he helped Livy out of the car. They walked up the steps to the porch. Steve stepped forward to knock on the door while Livy held Natasha’s free hand. They heard footsteps on the other side of the door, and it opened to reveal a brunette.

“Steve!” she shouted and flung her arms around him. “It’s great to see you!”

Steve hugged the lady as well. “It’s great to see you too, Rebecca! It’s been a long time.”

“Indeed it has! Come in, come in, before you three catch your death of cold.” She stepped inside to let them in.

Once inside, they all took off their coats and gloves. Natasha changed out of her boots and put on her heels.

“Becca, I’d like to introduce you to Natasha Romanoff. She’s Livy’s ballet teacher,” Steve said once they finished taking off their wraps.

“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Rebecca Procter,” she greeted.

“It’s nice to meet you too,” Natasha replied.

“Wait a minute, you’re married already?” Steve asked in disbelief.

“Yes, I am. I’ll introduce you to William in a minute. I first need to say hello to this little girl.” She turned to Livy and crouched to her eye level, “Hey, Olivia! I don’t think you remember me because when I last saw you, you were a baby still. I’m your Aunt Becca, your Uncle Bucky’s sister.”

Livy hid a little behind Steve because she was a bit shy.

“Aw, she’s a shy girl, isn’t she?”

“At first, but once she warms up, she’ll be bouncing off the walls,” Steve said.

“Becca, who was at the door?” a female voice asked. She appeared a moment later. “Oh, Steve! You made it. I thought you weren’t going to come.”

“I wouldn’t miss out on celebrating Christmas with you, Aunt Winnie. Who told you I wouldn’t come?” Steve asked a bit confused.

Bucky appeared behind her with a mischievous smile. “I did, but I only said that so she wouldn’t go telling Becca that you were coming. I wanted to surprise her.”

Steve shook his head. “Aunt Winnie, this is Natasha Romanoff. She’s Livy’s ballet teacher.”

Mrs. Barnes pulled her in for a hug. “It’s so nice to meet you, Natasha. I’m Winnifred Barnes, but you can call me Winnie.”

“It’s great to meet you too, Winnie. Steve has told me a bit about you,” Natasha replied.

“I wish I could say the same, but this boy here doesn’t tell me many things like he used to do when he was younger,” she said as she looked at Steve sternly.

Steve hung his head. It was the look that she had always given Steve when he was younger whenever he would stay over at her house and he’d do something wrong. “I’m sorry. I guess it slipped my mind the last time we talked.”

Mrs. Barnes let out a laugh. “Oh, Steve, I was just messing with you. Unbelievable how you still get affected by ‘the look’! Well, how about you all continue the conversation in the living room while I finish up dinner. I need to go relieve poor Wanda from helping in the kitchen. She’s been here all day helping out. It’s time she gets some relaxation.” She walked off towards the kitchen.

“Well, you heard Mama. Let’s go into the living room. William should be in there with Brandon,” said Becca as she led them to the living room.

Livy was still hiding behind Steve’s leg since she didn’t know Mrs. Barnes or Rebecca that well.

Upon entering the living room, Becca walked towards a man holding a sleeping baby in his arms. “Hey, Sweetheart, I want you to meet some people,” she told him as she carefully took the baby out of his arms. “This is Steve, the one I told you about. The girl clinging to his leg is his daughter Olivia, and the lady is Natasha, Livy’s ballet teacher.”

William stood up and shook Steve’s and Natasha’s hand. “Hi, I’m William Procter, Becca’s husband.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” replied Steve.

“No, the pleasures all mine. Becca has told me so much about you.”

“I’m sure she has. I think I was here with the Barnes more than I was at my own house growing up.”

“This is our son, Brandon,” Becca cut in.

“Oh, he’s so cute!” Natasha gushed. “How old is he?”

“He’s two months old.”

“Aw, he’s big for his age.”

“I know he is, but that’s a good thing. He’s a healthy little boy.”

“Do you mind if I hold him?”

“Of course not. It’s better that you do now since he won’t know that it’s someone else. Once he wakes up, he may cry if you do. Mama held him a couple of hours ago, but he started crying.” She handed Brandon over to Natasha.

Natasha held him and was entranced with his sleeping figure. After a few moments, she felt a tug on her pants. She looked down and saw Livy with expectant eyes. “You want to see the baby?”

Livy nodded her head.

“Let’s go sit down on the couch then.”

Livy followed Natasha to the couch and sat next to her. She stared at the baby. “He’s cute,” she whispered.

“Yes, he is,” Natasha replied.

All the while, Steve was talking with Bucky and William, but he kept stealing glances at Natasha, Livy, and Brandon. Just seeing that scene before him made him know that he had to tell her tonight. There was no shadow of a doubt in his mind that he wanted that with her.

Wanda came into the living room a little while later. “Dinner’s on the table. Go wash up.”

Natasha returned Brandon to Becca and followed Steve to the bathroom to wash her hands. Livy ran up behind her as well.

Soon, everyone was gathered around the table. Bucky sliced the ham while Wanda passed the dishes around the table. Each one served their sides to their liking. They all had a splendid dinner, and all too soon, everyone was done eating. Steve helped clear the table with Becca since Mrs. Barnes, Wanda, and Bucky already did their part and the rest were guests.

Once in the kitchen and out of earshot, Becca turned with hands on her hips. “It’s time to spill. How long have you had your eye on her, Steve?”

Steve was taken aback by her straightforwardness. “Um, I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t play dumb with me, young man. I know you know perfectly well what I’m talking about.”

Steve sighed. “Ever since I laid eyes on her.”

“Figured,” she smirked. “Bucky told me about when you first met her.”

“Oh, really? What did he say?”

“That she tripped, and you swooped in and caught her by the waist before she fell on the ground which resulted into you two gazing into each other’s eyes.”

“I can’t believe he didn’t exaggerate this time!”

“So, it’s true?”

“Yes, it is,” confirmed Steve.

“Well, that must have been awfully sweet. When are you going to make a move? Or are you still seeing that Sharon girl?”

“You know about Sharon?” Steve asked.

“Bucky told me. Now, answer the question.”

“I broke up with Sharon a month ago. I’m planning to make the move tonight, but of course, I’ll give her the option to think about it because I don’t want it to seem as if she’s just a rebound, you know.”

“Of course, you wouldn’t. I say, go for it. I can tell she likes you too, and she’s pretty good at handling Livy already,” she said with a knowing look. “Oh, I think it would be nice if you took her out for a walk when you tell her. It’s starting to snow lightly. Sets up the mood quite nicely.” Becca finished her sentence and walked out to the living room.

Steve was alone in the kitchen to think about what Becca had just said. Usually, they would open up presents now, but it seemed like Becca was implying for him to do it now. He slowly walked back to the living room to give him time to think about what he should do. When he finally got there, they were all sitting on the couches.

“Oh, good! Steve’s here. I think we should open up presents now,” Mrs. Barnes said.

“Mama, what if we do something different this year?” Becca chimed in.

“Like what dear?”

“Like maybe leave presents for later. We can talk some right now,” she said as she looked at Steve.

“Ok, I guess. We could wait another hour.”

By this time, Bucky had caught on. “Yeah, it’ll also give Livy more time to warm up to everyone she doesn’t really know. The presents will mean a lot more to her that way.”

“Yeah, that is a great idea!”

Becca looked at Steve and gave him a look to go out for a while.

Steve stood up and said, “Aunt Winnie, I need a breath of fresh air. Is that all right with you?”

“Of course, it is Stevie. You go on ahead, just make sure you’re on time for the presents.”

Steve walked over to Natasha and whispered, “Do you want to take a walk with me?”

Natasha nodded. “I’m going with Steve,” she let everyone know.

Livy was entertained with the baby as he had now woken up, so she didn’t realize that they left.

Once outside, Steve and Natasha walked down the sidewalk side by side. The snow was gently falling making it look like the snow falling in a snow globe. They walked in silence for several minutes before Natasha spoke up, “What’s wrong?” she asked. “You seem nervous.”

Steve looked down at her and was at a complete loss for words. He just stared at her and kept thinking how beautiful she looked.

“Steve? There’s a reason for this walk, isn’t there?”

“Yeah, there is.”

“What do you need to tell me?” prodded Natasha.

Steve took a deep breath. “Do you believe in finding true happiness and love after something horrible has happened? You know, like in movies, a person gets hurt or loses someone special, but they find that happiness and love after a while?”

Natasha furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. “I guess I do, but I don’t think everyone does.”

“Well, ever since the moment I saw you; I felt a certain attraction to you. I started to feel some emotions I hadn’t felt since Peggy. As I get to know you more and more, those feelings get stronger. I had to hide them when I was with Sharon, and I did a pretty good job. But since I broke up with her, the feelings have been seeping there way out. I know I just broke up a month ago, and I don’t want this to seem like I’m looking for a rebound, someone to just have fun with. But I can’t go another minute without telling you that I’m falling in love with you, Nat. I want to pursue a relationship with you. I know, it’s sudden, so you can take all the time you need to think about it. I just needed to tell you that and get it off my chest.”

Natasha was dumbstruck. She didn’t expect to ever hear those words from Steve. She thought those kisses were a fling. She was staring at him, and she knew he needed an answer. “I-I-I don’t know what to say. I guess I do need some time to think it through. I’m not sure if I’m ready for a relationship yet after…” she trailed off.

“I get it. I want and encourage you to think about it. I’m not sure if I’m ready to get back into it, but I know that I won’t let you ever get away.”

“Don’t get me wrong, Steve. I have felt a certain attraction to you too, but I need to think about it for a couple of days.”

Steve nodded. “Take all the time you need. I’ll wait as long as necessary.” They continued walking a few more minutes before Natasha shivered. Steve took notice of it. “I think we should head back now.”

“No, I want to stay out here a couple of more minutes.”

“But you’re cold,” Steve objected.

“I have you to keep me warm, don’t I?”

Steve smiled and put his arm around her. “Yes, you do.”

* * *

 

Back at the house an hour later, everyone was in the living room after having opened presents. Natasha gave Livy a jump rope and a bag of Hershey kisses. She had overheard Livy talking one time with some of her friends about jump roping, and she knew that Livy wanted to learn to jump rope.

Steve was sitting next to Natasha on the couch, and when no one was really paying attention, Steve took out a long wrapped box. “Natasha, this is for you,” he said.

“Oh, Steve, you didn’t have to.”

“I know, but I wanted to.”

“Now, I feel bad because I didn’t get you anything,” Natasha pouted.

“It’s all right. Knowing that I may have a chance with you is enough of a present for me.”

Natasha melted at his words. This man had to be an imagination. She had never met anyone like him. She took the box and opened it. Inside, she found a diamond necklace. “Steve! This is beautiful!” Natasha exclaimed. “It must have cost you a fortune.”

“I didn’t. That used to be my mother’s necklace. I found it a couple of days ago, and I just knew she would want you to have it,” he explained.

“Thank you, Steve!” she said and hugged him. “Thank you so much!”

* * *

 

It was around ten o’clock when Steve decided to get going. He knew that Natasha needed to get home, and he didn’t want her out driving so late at night. Also, Livy was falling asleep on Becca’s lap. “Well, I think we need to get going now. Aunt Winnie, thank you so much for the delicious dinner and for the invitation!”

“Oh, you’re welcome. Also, you don’t need an invitation to come here, you know that. I would love to see more of your precious little girl.” She leaned into him and whispered, “And more of that young girl you brought tonight. Don’t you let her get away.”

Steve smiled. “I won’t, and don’t worry, I’ll be back as soon as I have time.”

Steve and Natasha said their goodbyes. Steve picked up the sleeping Livy and carried her to the car where he buckled her into her car seat. They waved goodbye as they drove away from the house.

* * *

 

Once Steve unlocked the door to his house, he motioned for Natasha to go in. “Hold on a minute. I’m going to put her to bed.” Steve carried Livy up to her room and set her down on her bed. He then took off her shoes and tucked her in. He quietly closed the door and walked down the stairs.

Natasha was waiting for him in the living room. She looked up when she heard him enter.

“There’s no chance you’ll stay another night, right?” Steve asked hopefully.

Natasha shook her head. “I have things to do tomorrow.”

“Ok, well, drive safe, and text me when you’re in your apartment.”

“I will. Thanks for inviting me. These last two days have been the best of my life. I’ve never celebrated Christmas as much as I have this year.”

“No, thank you for accepting the invite.” They both walked to the door and stood there facing each other. “Please, promise me you’ll think about it.”

“I will, Steve,” Natasha assured, but he didn’t look too convinced. Natasha looked up and saw something hanging above them. “Hey, Steve, do you have a habit of hanging mistletoe during the holidays?”

He looked up and rolled his eyes. “I can’t believe I didn’t notice it before. I’m sure it was either Bucky or Wanda. They helped me decorate. We don’t have to kiss.”

But Natasha had other ideas. This was a perfect way to get him convinced she would think about their talk without actually giving it away. She grabbed his neck and pulled his head down so that his lips could meet hers. It was a short sweet kiss, but enough for Steve to be put at ease. When they pulled away, Natasha took out her car keys while Steve opened the door. “Thanks once again.”

“You’re welcome. Oh, one more thing, Natasha.”

Natasha raised her eyebrow.

“Stark has a New Year’s Eve Gala on New Year’s Eve. I bailed his Christmas gala, so I kind of have to go to the New Year’s one. Do you want to come with me?”

“I’d love to,” Natasha smiled.

Steve grinned. “Ok.”

“Have a good night, Steve.”

“You too. Don’t forget to text me.”

Thirty minutes later, as Steve lay in bed, his phone buzzed. He picked it up and smiled.

**_Natasha: I just got home and locked up. Thanks for everything! Have a good night._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, you're all thinking that I'm torturing you, and I may be just a little. At least Steve confessed his feelings already. It does make a little sense that Natasha wants to think about it considering her past, but she'll give her answer very soon. The next chapter will have the appearance of someone that hasn't really been in this story. I think I put this person in the very beginning though. Let's see if any of you figure out who it may be. I'll try to post it on Friday. In case I don't, I'll let you all know that I won't be posting next week since I'm going on vacation.
> 
> There are pictures on my Wattpad account: https://www.wattpad.com/591602840-finding-love-again-chapter-37


	40. Chapter 38

For three days, Natasha had been thinking and rethinking Steve’s confession to her. He needed an answer, but she was lost in what she should do. She would think about agreeing to a relationship with him, but as soon as she did, she would doubt herself. One minute, she would feel that it was time for her to move on, but the next, she would be telling herself that it was too soon. A part of her was saying that Steve was nothing like Alexi while the other part was saying that he would hurt her worse than Alexi ever did. She finally had enough and decided to ask a friend for advice. Now, she’s sitting in her car at the driveway of her friend’s house. She knows she needs to go in and talk, but she was having second thoughts about whether or not she should. Deciding that her mind wouldn’t be put at ease until she did, she forced herself out of the car. She knocked on the door as soon as she walked up the porch steps so that she wouldn’t chicken out. The door was immediately opened.

“Hi, Tasha, I was beginning to think something happened to you. I was about to call Clint to track you down.”

“Hey, Maria. I was just collecting my thoughts in the car for a few minutes after I arrived,” said Natasha.

“Come on in. I’ll get you a cup of coffee, and we can talk,” Maria told her as she stepped inside. Maria disappeared into the kitchen, and Natasha entered the living room as soon as she took off her coat.

Maria walked in a few minutes later and found Natasha staring off into space. She set the coffee cups, sugar, and creamer on the table in front of Natasha and sat down beside her. “So you going to tell me what’s on your mind, or are you going to prepare your coffee first?”

Natasha didn’t answer. Instead, she absent-mindedly prepared her coffee. Maria had already prepared hers, so she just waited for Natasha. Natasha finished preparing her coffee and scooted backward and angled so that she could see Maria. Maria also angled slightly.

Maria was waiting for Natasha to start, but there was only silence on her end as she stared at the cup in her hands. “Come on, girl. You’re starting to worry me. Did something happen? Did one of Alexi’s acquaintances find you?”

Natasha shook her head. “No, it’s not that.”

“Then?” Maria prodded.

“You know Steve Rogers, the guy that came in before the ballet school opened, and you rudely sent away?”

“Yes, I do. What about him?”

“He’s the father of one of my ballet students. I’ve talked to you about Livy before, right?”

“When have you not? You talk about her more than your other students.”

“Yeah, I guess I do,” Natasha said as she smiled a little.

“Wait, you said Steve is her father?” Maria asked.

Natasha nodded her head.

“Oh, I know who she is now. But this isn’t about Livy, so what about this Steve?”

“Well, over the course of the months, we’ve gotten to know each other, and now, we’re friends. I’m not sure at which moment, but I started falling for him. It seems like he fell for me as well. While he was still with his girlfriend, he kissed me, twice. I pushed him away after the second time because what he was doing was not right. I thought it was pure lust, but Christmas night, he told me he’s falling in love with me and wants me to be his girlfriend,” Natasha said quietly.

“Girl! You’ve been keeping a lot from me over the past few months, and I thought I was your best friend!”

“I know, and I’m sorry. I just knew that I couldn’t do anything about how he was feeling because of his girlfriend. But when he told me he broke up with her, those feelings I buried and tried so hard to forget crept back up.”

Maria nodded in understanding. “So, what’s the problem?”

“Maria, you know my past, so you obviously know that I’m scared of handing my heart over to another man. I know I was forced to marry Alexi, but that doesn’t mean that feelings didn’t come into play during the time we were married. He could be a real sweetheart when he wasn’t high or drunk, and I loved that part of him. I’m just scared that Steve could hurt me in some way or the other.”

Maria was pensive a little. “You know, now that I’m remembering Steve, I’ve met him briefly before. He’s Clint’s friend, isn’t he?”

“Yes, he is.”

“Yeah, one day he came down to the police station to talk with Clint about something, and we briefly spoke. I can’t believe I didn’t recognize him!”

“Did you listen to a word I said or were you thinking about that?” Natasha asked a bit frustrated.

“Yes, yes, I heard everything. From what I know, he is a nice guy. Quite a gentleman, I dare say. I don’t think he could hurt a fly if he wanted to. On top of that, he has quite a good physique. I mean, have you seen his muscles?”

“Of course, I have, Maria. Before Livy’s appendix surgery I would see him every day with the exception of Saturdays and Sundays.”

“So, did you give him an answer?”

Natasha took a sip of her coffee and shook her head.

“Oh, my word! I would have said yes on the spot! Why didn’t you give him an answer?”

“I didn’t give him an answer because first of all, he asked me to think about it and second, I was at a loss of words. It took me by surprise, so I agreed to think it over. Right now, I’m honestly too conflicted by my thoughts and emotions that I came to you for advice.”

Maria looked at her with sympathy. “You still can’t let go of your past?”

“How can I Maria? It’s a part of me. I’m constantly on the lookout for Alexi’s goons and for those he owes money. I know they’re after me even though Clint and you don’t tell me. Just the mere act of you two watching my every move is proof enough. I wonder what would happen if someone came up to me telling me I have to pay the thousands of dollars that Alexi owes just because I was his wife. I don’t have that kind of money, and I’m pretty sure they’d just kill me right on the spot.”

“Have you told Steve about your past?”

“A little, yes, but not all of it. He knows Alexi is in jail, but he doesn’t know that people are looking for me,” Natasha said a bit sadly.

“Look, Clint and I are trying everything we can to find them and put them in jail for their acts. Them being drug dealers is enough to put them in jail. I can’t tell you in specific, but we have already caught some of them. You don’t need to worry about that. We’ve been keeping you safe, and so far, no one’s come near you. I think you need to focus on something else for a change. Do you want to have something more with Steve?”

“Yes…no…I don’t know,” hesitated Natasha.

“Natasha, you deserve happiness, love, stability, a good man to care for you. I think Steve can offer you all of that despite the fact of knowing basically nothing about him. If he’s Clint’s friend, you can trust him.”

“I know I can trust him, Maria. That’s not the problem. I’m scared that he may find out the whole truth of my past and will run from me because he doesn’t want to deal with it. I mean, for heaven’s sake, he has a young daughter to take care of. Who knows what would happen if I get involved with him, and they find me. They’ll hurt him, or worse, they’ll hurt Livy. I don’t want to make him suffer anymore. He’s been through a lot already.”

Maria sighed. “You don’t even know what love is, right?”

Natasha shook her head. “I have no clue.”

“Well, I know a little, Tasha, because I had parents who loved me. Love is willing to accept a person for who they are, past and all. I’m sure that if Steve really loves you as he says he does he won’t care about your past. Clint told me he was in the army, so he knows how to fight. I’m sure he’d go to great lengths just to protect you. He will be with you through every step of the way. If I were you, I’d tell him yes. It’s not like you’re going to marry him right off the bat. While you’re dating, tell him everything. He will understand, and if he doesn’t, then he’s just a big jerk who doesn’t deserve you. If he can’t put up with your past, then he’s not the guy for you.”

Natasha sighed and stood up. “Thanks, Maria, for the advice. I’ll have to think about what you said some more before I make a decision.”

Maria stood as well. “You’re welcome, sweetie. You know that I want to see you happy, right?”

Natasha nodded her head.

“Come here,” Maria said as she pulled her in for a hug. “After you’ve told Steve your decision, make sure that you tell me. You kept all of this away from me long enough. You know that I need to gossip about something with you.”

Natasha laughed. “Of course, I’ll let you know. I’m not sure why I waited such a long time. It might have been easier to cope with the emotions if I had. Now, I know not to wait.”

“Drive safe, Tasha, and text me once you are safe at home.”

“I will.” Natasha and Maria walked to the entrance where Natasha put on her coat. “Oh, Maria, one more thing.”

“Yes?” Maria asked with raised eyebrows.

“How many have you caught?”

Maria pursed her lips. “You know I can’t tell you that.”

“At least tell me if it’s been more than half,” pleaded Natasha.

“No, it’s hasn’t been more than half. They become harder and harder to track down each time we do catch one but don’t worry. Clint and I will make sure they don’t come after you.”

Natasha nodded. “Well, I guess I’ll be going now. Thanks for the coffee.”

Maria opened the door, and Natasha stepped out and was soon on her way home. 

* * *

 

Once at home, Natasha started mulling over everything Maria had told her. She did have a point in what she had told her. Maria said she deserved happiness and a chance at love. But did she believe in love? Ever since the orphanage, she had come to believe love was for children since that was what they had taught her.

Her thoughts drifted to Livy. She was an adorable little girl that captivated her heart from day one. She was the sweetest thing. Natasha loved seeing her smile and hearing her laugh. She loved it when Livy would cuddle up to her when she was tired or sad. Thinking back to the last month, she had acted like a mother to Livy, or at least what she thought how a mother would act with her daughter. That thought alone made her smile a bit.

Then, she thought of Steve. He was the perfect gentleman. He opened doors for her and treated her with the utmost respect. He treated her gently like a fragile glass. The smiles he put on whenever he saw Livy and her interact were knee-weakening. He probably thinks they go unnoticed by her, but she sees him every time. Thinking about Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, it had felt like a family, or at least how she thought a family is supposed to feel. It wasn’t in the least bit awkward waking up and having breakfast at his house. It actually had felt nice, like something she could get used to.

But, once again, her thoughts went back to her past. She knew that getting involved with them could bring turmoil later on down the road. She couldn’t put them at risk especially Livy. If something were to happen to Livy because of her, she was sure Steve would hate her forever because Livy is the only link he has to Peggy. She wouldn’t let that happen. The best would be not to get involved with Steve.

Maria’s words then popped back into her mind. _“Natasha, you deserve happiness, love, stability, a good man to care for you. I think Steve can offer you all of that…_ _I’m sure he’d go to great lengths just to protect you. He will be with you through every step of the way.”_ There was truth in those words, and she knew that. However, she was still hesitant. She had resolved to give him an answer the next time she saw him which would be New Year’s Eve, and give him an answer she shall. She just needed to be sure she was doing the right thing.

The next three days passed, and her head and heart were still in conflict with one another. The time drew near for Steve to pick her up to go to the gala, and she was starting to seriously come up with the right choice for her and him. Finally, the time came for Steve to pick her up, and thankfully, she had an answer for him. She just decided to tell him a little later on in the evening to make sure what she had decided was actually something she wanted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry (but at the same time not really) for leaving you all on a cliffhanger. I know it'll be hard to wait a week before the next one, but I promise, I'll make it up to you. I'll be posting the week of July 1.
> 
> For those of you who guessed Maria as the person in this chapter, you were correct! 
> 
> One last thing before I leave. I'm thinking that the next chapter will be the last chapter of this book. I know, you may be sad, but it's the best place where I can end this book. But, don't you get all worked up about it just yet because I am going to write a sequel to this book since there is still so much to explore. Well, goodbye until July!


	41. Chapter 39

The knock on the door jerked Natasha from her thoughts. She took a deep breath. It was going to be hard to keep her decision away from him all night, but it was for the best. If he asks, she’ll just have to say that he will get his answer at the end of the night. She gave herself a quick once over before grabbing her clutch bag and heading to the door.  She took another deep breath and opened the door. Her eyes were met with a stunning looking man in a gray suit with a black shirt and wine red tie. She was stuck in a daze the minute she saw him.

Steve was as well. He sucked in a breath the minute his eyes saw her. He looked her up and down, taking In how exquisite she looked in her gold dress. When their eyes finally met, he dared to speak. “You look breathtakingly beautiful!”

“You don’t look so bad yourself,” she smirked.

Steve smiled. “So, are you ready to go?”

“Let me just get my coat and lock up.” She turned to the coat rack that was next to the door and grabbed her formal winter coat. She closed the door behind her and locked it. She was about to put on her coat when Steve grabbed it.

“Let me,” he simply said as he opened the coat.

Natasha turned around and put her arms through the sleeves. “Thank you,” she said as she put on her gloves. “Ok, we can go now.”

* * *

 

Thirty minutes later, they were entering the ballroom in Stark Tower. There was a string quartet playing towards the front and some couples were dancing to the music while others were eating _hors d oeuvres_ and talking. Pepper, who was talking to the New York State senator, spotted them in the entrance and excused herself to go greet them. “Hi, Steve! What a pleasant surprise to see you here Natasha!” she said upon reaching them.

Natasha raised an eyebrow at Steve.

He nervously said, “I kind of forgot to mention you were coming, but Stark will be ok with it. He’ll actually be delighted to see you. Won’t he Pepper?”

“Oh, Tony is always delighted to see anyone. He’s such a people person, but I’m pretty sure it’s because he likes to gloat.”

“And hit on women,” Natasha added.

Pepper rolled her eyes. “Definitely. I’m sorry if he gave you the wrong impression the day we met. He can be flirtatious when he meets a pretty woman.”

“Wait a minute,” Steve said a bit confused, “what did I miss?”

“Oh, nothing much, just that the first time Tony went to pick up Livy from her ballet class he was flirting a bit and asked me out,” Natasha nonchalantly told him.

“He did what!” Steve exclaimed.

“Relax, nothing happened. Pepper came in and introduced herself and said she was his girlfriend. I wasn’t going to say yes anyway. I didn’t like his cocky attitude.”

Pepper was enjoying watching Steve get jealous, but she knew she had to excuse herself to go greet others. “Well, it’s nice that you both are here. I hope you enjoy yourselves. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to go greet the other guests.” Pepper walked away and left the two by themselves again.

“So, do you want champagne?” Steve asked.

“How about we go dance first?” Natasha suggested.

Steve looked a little uncertain, and it didn’t go unnoticed by Natasha.

“Steve, I know you’ve told me you can’t dance, but do I have to remind you of when we danced on your birthday?”

“That was just pure luck,” he answered.

“If I remember correctly, you said it was the partner. Now, come on, loosen up a little bit. Enjoy the last night of the year,” Natasha prodded.

Steve knew he couldn’t say no to her. “Ok, let’s go dance.” He offered her his arm, and she gladly took it.

Once on the dance floor, they got into position and started dancing to the music. Natasha noticed that Steve was more focused on not wanting to step on her feet. “Steve, relax. I can feel you’re very stiff, and stop looking down at your feet. You won’t step on me. Just look at me and feel the music. Feeling the music will help you to dance well without you having to concentrate on how you’re dancing.”

Steve tried what Natasha suggested, and soon, he was dancing perfectly well.

“You see. It worked.” Natasha said after several minutes.

“I have you to thank for that. I’ll have to keep your tips in mind the next time.”

The song soon ended, and Steve and Natasha decided to get something to drink. On their way, Wanda spotted them. She told Bucky, and they both went over to say hello.

“Hey, you two! It’s nice to see you both here. _Together,_ ” Wanda spoke up as they came up behind them making sure to put extra emphasis on the word “together.”

They both turned around a bit startled. Seeing it was Wanda and Bucky, they relaxed. They all exchanged hugs before the conversation went any further.

“I didn’t think you guys were going to come,” Steve admitted.

“That’s what happens when you think,” Bucky teased which caused both Wanda and Natasha to laugh.

Steve shook his head and replied, “If that’s what happens when I think, I wouldn’t want to know what happens when you think.”

“Punk,” Bucky said.

“Jerk,” Steve shot back.

Wanda rolled her eyes. “Can we stop with the name calling? We have more important matters to discuss.”

“What do we have to discuss?” Natasha inquired.

Wanda laughed. “You two, of course! Is there something going on that I don’t know about? Ever since Christmas, you two seem to be very-how should I say it?- _close_ if I dare say so. Don’t you think, Bucky?”

“Yeah, looking back now, I’m pretty sure you two have gotten closer since Christmas. What’s going on?”

Steve and Natasha both looked at each other with confused expressions on their faces.

“We have no idea what you’re talking about,” replied Steve.

“Yeah, we just came as friends. Is there something wrong with that?” Natasha asked with a raised eyebrow.

Wanda eyed them suspiciously. “Of course not, but I don’t think-”

“So, who did you finally find to take care of Livy tonight?” Bucky cut in because he noticed that Steve’s demeanor had changed after Natasha’s answer.

Wanda glared at him. “Really? You just had to switch the subject!”

“Well, Clint and Laura graciously offered to watch her, and I think it’s better for Livy since she can play with Lila and Cooper. She actually didn’t say goodbye when Clint picked her up earlier today. She was that excited,” Steve answered.

Anyone could have thought that Steve was talking normally, but Bucky knew his best friend. He knew that something had bothered Steve, and he confirmed it when he heard his voice. It had a tinge of sadness to it which anyone could have brushed off as him being sad that Livy didn’t say goodbye, but Bucky knew it wasn’t that. “That’s good to hear. Well, Wanda and I will be off to the dance floor again. We’ll see you two around.”

“Hey, Steve,” Natasha said.

Steve hummed in response.

“I’m going to the ladies’ room. I’ll be right back.”

“Ok, I’ll be over by the bar. What do you want to drink?”

“Anything you choose is fine with me.”

Steve nodded and watched as Natasha left. Now that he was “alone,” Natasha’s words came rushing back into his head, _“Yeah, we’re just friends.”_ Did Natasha really see him as just a friend? Could that mean her answer is no? He was so lost in thought that he didn’t realize when Natasha got back and started talking to him.

“Earth to Steve? Hello?” he heard Natasha say.

He turned to look at her. “Hmmm?”

Natasha sighed. “I asked if you’ve ordered the drinks yet.”

“Oh, no, not yet. I was waiting for you.”

“You know, you’re a terrible liar. You seemed to be deep in thought. What’s on your mind? Is something bothering you?”

“No, nothing’s bothering me. I was just thinking about Livy. I think this is the first New Year’s we’re spending apart. I kind of miss her,” he quickly said.

“Oh, don’t worry, she’ll be fine. But tell me what’s really bothering you,” Natasha told him as she leaned on the bar counter.

Steve sighed. “Well, I was kind of wondering something. I don’t want to pressure you or anything though.”

Natasha knew what he was wanting to ask. “You want to know if I have an answer for you, right?”

Steve nodded his head sheepishly.

“Let’s just say that I might have my answer, but I’m going to wait until I’m absolutely positive that it’s what I want before I give you my answer.”

“I can’t even have a hint?” he asked.

“Nope. You need to be patient.”

“Hey, you stole my line,” Steve pointed out.

Natasha giggled. “Well, someone has to remind you to be patient every once in a while.”

“What can I get for you folks tonight?” the bartender asked just then.

Natasha turned around. “Two champagnes, please.”

 “Ok, I’ll have them ready in a minute.”

They didn’t have to wait long for their drinks. As they were receiving the drinks, Tony came up behind them.

“You actually had the decency to show up this time, Rogers,” said Tony with a bit of fake surprise.

Steve rolled his eyes. “You know the reason why I didn’t come for the Christmas gala. I would have come otherwise.”

“Oh, about that, she showed up with this Italian guy as her date. I think either the other guy dumped her or she dumped him. She also told me to tell you that she doesn’t even miss you, and she’s better off without you.”

“Yeah, I really am not interested who she came with or what she told you. She wasn’t worth it,” Steve said with a bit of bitterness in his voice.

Natasha felt a bit out of place like she was eavesdropping on a conversation, so she started to look around to see if someone she knew wasn’t busy.

Steve sensed her nervousness and knew that she probably didn’t want to hear that conversation. “It’s a pretty calm party, Stark. I thought you were going to have a DJ or something like that,” Steve said switching the conversation.

“Oh, I do, but that’s for the after party. You two are more than welcomes to attend it.”

“What do you say, Natasha? Do you want to stay for the after party?” Steve asked as he turned to look at her.

She stopped her search when she heard Steve addressing her. “What was that? I was a bit distracted and didn’t hear.”

“Tony is inviting us to his after party. Do you want to stick around for that?”

“What exactly is your definition of an after party, Stark?” she asked a bit cautiously, not really sure if she wanted to know.

Tony’s eyes lit up upon hearing the question. He loved to explain what his after parties were. “Well, this one will start exactly at one o’clock in the morning. It gives the string quartet and anyone else who I didn’t invite or doesn’t want to stay for the after party to leave. My DJ will arrive around 12:30, and he will start setting up his equipment. There is going to be all kinds of music and dancing. I also have a drinking contest and a karaoke competition planned. There is also going to be beer pong up in the balcony for those who want to play. My first after party of the year is the best one you will ever find. You should really stick around for it.”

Natasha looked kind of skeptical when she heard everything he had planned. “What time does it end?”

“That, little red, isn’t something I decide. It can go all night long if people don’t start passing out. If it ends early, I have an after, after party. I mean, it’s New Year’s. We need to start it in style and by partying all night long.”

Natasha wasn’t looking convinced, and Steve was hoping she would decline because he hated Stark’s after parties.

“So, what’s the answer going to be, little red?”

“First of all, don’t you dare call me ‘little red’ ever again,” Natasha huffed out. “And your answer is that I’ll have to pass this time. I like spending my New Year’s at home sleeping, but maybe next time.”

“Fine, but if you change your mind, the offer still stands. What about you, Cap? Are you going to stay?”

“I’m sorry, Tony, but I have to go pick up Livy tomorrow morning at the Barton’s, so I don’t think it’s a very wise idea to stay,” he answered, thankful that he could use that as an excuse since it was exactly what he planned to do the next morning.

Tony sighed deeply. “You two are no fun. One day, you’re going to regret that you didn’t party as much as you could.”

“One day you’re going to regret consuming all of the alcohol you did during your parties,” Natasha fired back as Tony walked away.

Steve chuckled at the comment. “You know, that’s exactly what Pepper would have said if she were here right now.”

“I have no idea how she supports him. He can be such a pain in the back.”

“Well, they’ve basically known each other their whole lives and have been on an on-off relationship since high school, so she has had a lot of practice.”

Natasha shook her head. “That could be right, but what she has is a lot, and I mean a lot, of patience.”

“That’s true too. Enough talk about them. Let’s enjoy the last couple of hours before this year ends,” Steve proposed as he offered his hand for Natasha to take.

She set her empty champagne glass on the bar counter behind her and gladly took his hand letting him lead her to wherever he wanted to go.

They spent the rest of the night before midnight mostly dancing, but they also made small talk with people that Steve knew and took breaks to eat and drink a little bit.

Finally, the time was near to ring in the New Year.  Exactly five minutes before midnight, Tony got up on the platform and grabbed a microphone. “Listen up everybody! The time has come to get ourselves ready to greet the New Year. As always, I will be projecting the ball drop up here. It should almost be ready. Anyway, if you aren’t with your partner yet, I suggest you go find them now, so you can give them a New Year’s kiss. We will start the countdown from ten and work our way down. Now that that has been said, I need Pepper up here with me. Where is she?” He scanned the crowd and soon found her squeezing her way through the crowd. She finally got up on the platform with Tony. “Ah, now I’m ready. Is the projector all ready?” He got a thumbs up from the projectionist. "Ok, let’s turn it on, and wait for the countdown!” Tony moved off to the side with Pepper so as not to be in the way of the image.

Soon, the image came up and a news reporter was talking about how many people were in Times Square that night. Steve turned to Natasha. “Have you watched the ball drop before or is this your first time?”

Natasha smiled softly. “It’s my first time. Barton doesn’t really have good cable, so I couldn’t watch it last year.”

“Well, it’s probably the thing I look forward to the most every year. I mean, watching it drop gives you a sense that you have successfully finished a year, but it also makes you realize that no matter how bad or how good the old year was, you can have new beginnings and new adventures in the New Year. Basically, you’re starting on a clean slate.”

“That makes sense. It’s like a fresh start, and you can forget about all the bad things that happened the year before.”

“Exactly,” Steve said smiling down at her.

“All right, everyone! One minute left!” Tony announced.

Steve signaled to Natasha to look at the screen as the ball began to descend from the pole. To Steve, she seemed entranced by it which she was, but there was a lot running around in her mind as midnight grew closer. Before she knew it, Tony was already telling everyone to get ready to countdown.

Steve also had his mind occupied as midnight approached. He couldn’t help but let the thoughts of Peggy’s and his New Year’s together come rushing back in.

“Ten!”

_“This has been my best first New Year’s away from my parents, and it’s because I was able to spend it with you, Steve. Thank you for making it special.”_

“Nine!”

_“Happy New Year’s, Steve!” She stood on tiptoe and gave him a short sweet kiss on his lips making him blush madly._

“Eight!”

_“My love, I wish we could have spent our first New Year’s being married together,” he said sadly over the phone._

_“Don’t worry about it, Sweetie. I understand that you couldn’t come home since it hasn’t been a year since you got into the military. At least we’re both alive and well. I promise we’ll do something special when you get home.”_

“Seven!”

_“This time next year, we’ll be holding our little one in our arms while celebrating her first New Year’s! Imagine how beautiful that will be!”_

“Six!”

_“I can’t believe this is Livy’s second New Year’s! Time has gone by so fast! I wish we could freeze time and stay in this moment forever.”_

“Five!”

Steve finally jolted back to the present, the thoughts of Peggy still lingering in his mind.

“Four!”

As the memories finally faded away, Steve became aware that Natasha was a bit closer to him.

“Three!”

He looked down and met her eyes realizing she had been watching him this whole time instead of the projection.

“Two!”

Natasha stepped a bit closer to him while not breaking the eye contact.

“One!”

She leaned in a bit as if she wanted to kiss him which earned her a confused look from Steve.

“Happy New Year’s!”

Natasha wrapped her arm around Steve’s neck and pulled him down towards her and put her lips on his. Steve was slightly confused for a second, but he let himself get wrapped up in the kiss. He put his hands on her waist and pulled her closer so that he could deepen the kiss. They could both feel the sparks in that kiss, and they couldn’t get enough of the other. Natasha’s plan was to keep it short and sweet, but the more they tasted each other, the more it got heated. Finally, they both pulled away for some air, but their foreheads were touching.

“Does this mean yes?” Steve asked in a quiet voice as if he was afraid that breaking the silence between them would make the moment dissipate.

“Yes, Steve, I would love to be your girlfriend,” Natasha said lovingly.

Steve smiled widely and pulled her in for another kiss.

Wanda, Bucky, and Tony were looking at them with wide smiles. They were happy that Steve and Natasha had finally found each other after so many months of trying to push them together. They couldn’t wait to witness all the adventures that were awaiting the new couple in this New Year.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for leaving you guys hanging for almost two months! It was not my intention to do so, but I didn't know I would be as busy as I was this summer. I also had a little bit of writer's block for the beginning of this chapter, but I finally got the idea. 
> 
> There are pictures of Steve and Natasha's outfits on my Wattpad account. I'll post the link below if you want to check it out.
> 
> I regret to inform that this book has come to a close, but there will be a sequel, so stay tuned for that. I'm not sure when I will put it up since I have so many other stories I want to write as well, and I started school yesterday and am not sure how much time I will have since it's my senior year in high school. I may post more than one story now because I have time to write now, at least more than when I go into college next year. 
> 
> Anyway, I want to thank all of you that have joined me in reading this book since I started a little more than a year ago. I want to give a huge shoutout to TheJollyRoger for being with me every step of the way. I know there are so many others that commented, and I absolutely loved reading all the comments that have been posted so far. To every one of you that would beg me to update and would check in on me to make sure everything was ok with me, thank you. Those comments meant a lot to me and reminded me that no matter how long I was absent, there were people out there who were awaiting the next chapter. Well, I won't say goodbye since I know you will all be waiting for the sequel, so I'll just say, until next time!
> 
> https://www.wattpad.com/618524887-finding-love-again-chapter-39


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